Oxford LibGuides: Witchcraft & the law in early modern Europe & USA: Scotland

Scotland

The crucial step which made witchcraft part of Scottish criminal law (as opposed to a matter for church discipline) is Anentis Witchcraftis 1563 (Acts of the Parliament of Scotland v.2 p.539)

The majority of instances (for which historical records survive) fall between 1590 and 1680 - within which are crisis periods and periods of calm.

Likewise, the tryal of six witches at Edenbourgh in Scotland; and the sentence denounc'd against them to be ty'd up by the thumbs, and to be burnt with lighted candles under the soles of their feet, and in their mouthes.
Requires Oxford SSO for remote access. One of many accounts available via Early English Books Online. Digital version of Thomason Tracts ; 105:E679[4]. London : printed by R. VVood
Publication Date: 1652
Survey of Scottish Witchcraft Database
Free resource. "The database contains all people known to have been accused of witchcraft in early modern Scotland—nearly 4,000 of them. There is information on where and when they were accused, how they were tried, what their fate was, and on a wide range of themes relating to social and cultural history. You can use the database to conduct all sorts of searches. For instance, you can find all known cases involving neighbourhood quarrels, or demonic possession, or fairies. You can find all the male or female witches. You can create graphs or maps showing how witchcraft cases were distributed; this is important because prosecutions tended to come in short bursts in particular localities."
Survey of Scottish Witchcraft 1563- 1736
Free resource. By Julian Goodare, Lauren Martin, Joyce Miller and Louise Yeoman January 2003. More about the project, selected reading etc
Witches (Scotland)
The Data and Visualisation internship project at the University of Edinburgh had as its core aim to geographically locate and visualise the different locations recorded within the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft Database.
Horrid Sinne of Witchcraft: Scottish Witchcraft in Burgh records
Free resource. Scottish Archive Network (SCAN). An electronic illustrated exhibition of documents on Scottish witch-hunting, created in 2002 by SCAN, an organisation providing electronic access to Scottish archives.