What Scotland’s Witch Trials Can Teach Us Today

For nearly 175 years — from 1563 until its repeal in 1736 — this act stood as part of Scotland’s law. In that time, it is estimated that 3,000 to 5,000 people were accused of witchcraft. Of those, a staggering 84 percent were women. Torture, often in the form of sleep deprivation and relentless interrogation, was routine. Executions followed — frequently by strangulation or burning — and their bodies were often destroyed so they could not even be buried, denied the final dignity of rest.Our guests know this story better than anyone.

Today, we’re joined by Claire Mitchell KC — a distinguished Scottish lawyer, specialising in criminal defence, constitutional and human rights law. She is co-founder of the Witches of Scotland campaign, which seeks posthumous pardons, a memorial, and an official apology for those persecuted under the Witchcraft Act.

Zoe Venditozzi is a writer, teacher, and co-campaigner. Born and raised in Fife, she brings storytelling, archival curiosity, and moral urgency to this mission. Her literary debut Anywhere’s Better Than Here won the Guardian’s Not the Booker popular prize; now with Claire she’s co-author of How to Kill a Witch: A Guide for the Patriarchy.

Their new book weaves together legal history, archival testimony, fictional vignettes, and sharp critique. It lifts the stories of those accused — women, and a few men — out of dusty court records and into the present. It asks: how did this system become possible, and how do we make amends?

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