An audio recording discussing witch trials in Aberdeen, via The Silver City Vault. 

Told from the perspective of Janet Wishart, who died in 1597, the tale is of the Castlegate, where a group of witches were accused of dancing and playing musical instruments in the presence of the devil between the Flesh Cross and Fish Cross at midnight on Halloween 1596. Between 1596-1597 in Aberdeen 22 women and one man were executed for having been found guilty of being witches. Janet Wishart and her family were the main focus of the witch hunting frenzy. Janet by all acounts was a forceful, ill-tempered woman with a sharp tongue. Janet was charged with over 30 dittays (indictments) going back 24 years. Janet spoke out at her trial but was never going to prove her innocence. Janet was sentenced to be burnt unto death which was unusual as witches were usually sentenced to be strangled and then their dead bodies burnt.

In Aberdeen, so-called witches were put on trial at the Tolbooth, in front of the provost of Aberdeen, 4 Baillies and a jury. The “dittays” were read out – these were the charges against the witch, and were often decades old, and often from friends, neighbours, family members. The witch was suspected of being guilty of “witchcraft, sorcery and other diabolical, detestable, practices”. 

The Aberdeen hangman was busy in 1597, as hysteria about witchcraft swept Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Some of their names, and charges included Margaret Clarke of Lumphanan– accused of the death of John Burnett. As he rode by on Horseback she ‘lurkit back towards him and cast up her hands and mumbled some of her ‘devilish prayers’.  He took to his bed and died; Janet Davidson of Sundayswells, said to have killed Patrick Hunter with her ‘diverse writings of Witchcraft; Helen Rogie of Findtrack, she specialised in making ‘pictours’ of her intended victims. (a pictour is a image made from soft lead or wax or other material). At her Trial, it was described how ‘she roasted sundry times the pictours of men whome thou murdered’; Margret Ogg was said to have bewitched her neighbour’s cattle; Janet Lucas was found to have a magical charm of coloured thread in her purse when arrested at the Kirk in Lumphanan ; Isobel Ogg of Craigtown of Lumphanan was indicted for using Witchcraft so that 2 Banchory women could outsell their rivals at Market.

In one day in the Tolbooth on the 25th April 1597, the following convictions were handed down
Bessie Paull was charged with Witchcraft
Thomas Ego was charged with using Witchcraft and Sorcery, declared a Fugitive from Justice and had all his belongings confiscated.
Elspett Strathauchyn, of Warthill, and Beak Taiss at the Burnside of Logie, were declared fugitives from the law ‘attachit to this day as witches‘ and had their belongings confiscated.
The Assize absolved Isobel Forbes of Glenmullocht of the charge of bewitching Gilbert Malcolm, and of 2 charges against her.
The Assize absolved Margaret Clerauche of the whole dittay against her.
John Ross became cautioner for Elspeth Findlay, at the cost of 200 merks and for Agnes Frame at a cost of 90 merks.
Katherine Ferries was convicted as a rank Witch on 8 points of Witchcraft contained in her dittay.

In Aberdeen there were quite considerable numbers of accusations, trials and burnings. The total numbers for the years 1536 to 1703 – during which period Witchcraft was deemed a criminal offence in Scotland – for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are as follows:

Year   Number of cases    Year   Number of Cases
1536          1                 1631            1

1580          1                 1636            2
1590          6                 1637            1
1596          7                 1643            1
1597        31                 1644            1
1601          1                 1649            2
1607          1                 1650            2
1613          1                 1662            2
1626          2                 1669            1
1627          3                 1670            1
1629          1                 1676            1
1630          5                 1703            1

1703 seems fairly recent for Aberdeen to still be hanging witches, but here we are. Many of the accused didn’t even make it to the gallows – they died in prison as a result of the torture inflicted on them. Several committed suicide.

Contrary to popular belief, only 9 of the 3837 “witches” in Scotland were midwives, and only around 141 had any type of “healing” mentioned in their dittays.