Newes from Scotland
1591 pamphlet describing the North Berwick witch trials in Scotland, detailing the confessions given by the accused witches before the King.
Maleficium
Act of sorcery, historically usually performed by a witch, intended to cause harm or injury.
Witch’s broomstick
Broomsticks smeared with flying ointment were supposed to give witches the power of flight.
Witchcraft Acts
Series of Acts passed by the Parliaments of England and Scotland making witchcraft a secular offence punishable by death.
Witchcraft Act 1735
Sometimes dated 1736, an Act of Parliament that repealed the statutes concerning witchcraft throughout Great Britain, including Scotland.
Witchcraft in Orkney
Witchcraft in Orkney possibly has its roots in the settlement of Norsemen on the archipelago from the eighth century onwards. Until the early modern period magical powers were accepted as part of the general lifestyle, but witch-hunts began on the mainland of Scotland in about 1550.
Malkin Tower
Home of Elizabeth Southerns, also known as Demdike, and her granddaughter Alizon Device, two of the chief protagonists in the Lancashire witch trials of 1612.