Tuesday 19 June 2012

Witches go on trial at Dirleton

A bit of fun...!

Witches on trial this weekend at Dirleton Castle

A recreation of the infamous North Berwick witch trials from the 16th century will be a major attraction at Dirleton Castle this Sunday.

Re-enactors will be staging a trial based on events that took place in North Berwick in 1590, when many alleged witches had confessed under torture to meeting the devil and dedicating themselves to evil.

The witches were blamed for a life-threatening storm which forced a ship carrying King James VI from Denmark to divert to Norway, where it was stranded for several weeks.

Events Interpretation Officer at Historic Scotland, Alison Stalker said: “Witch finder John Kincaid will host the trial at Dirleton, and explain how confessions were extracted from the hundreds of suspects. Visitors will be invited to form a jury and decide on the innocence or guilt of the accused.”

An alchemist will also be on site to talk about the church’s view on magic and the practices of alchemy and astrology. He will also give an insight into the working of metals and gold, and the work of an alchemist in the late 16th century.

The event, “A Witch’s Brew” on Sunday, June 24th begins at noon and runs until 4pm. Admission is included in the normal ticket price - £5 for adults, £4 concession, and £3 for children.

Entry is free to Historic Scotland members.

Chris

Check out my Scotland's Greatest Story research service www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)

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