The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Witches of East Mill? Brechin memorial to 17th Century victims
New light is being shone on a dark chapter of Brechin’s past. Near the River South Esk, a memorial stone has been installed bearing 13 local names from the 17th Century. Town stonemason Tommy Church created the memorial to the Witches of Brechin, unveiled on Saturday.
It’s part of the Brechin 2020 programme organised to mark 800 years of the town cathedral.
The pandemic got in the way of the octocentennial anniversary celebration.
But the Brechin 2020 group is pleased to have been able to complete the project at Inch Park.
Local historian George Mitchell gave a brief history of the witches and the town trials at the unveiling.
It’s another addition to the River Street park as part of a drive to bring more tourists to the town.
And the memorial has come about at a time of renewed interest in the history of the witches of Angus and Scotland.
In the middle 1600s, Scottish witch hunts was more fervent and longerlasting than the rest of the British Isles.
Consulting or practising “witchcraft” brought the death penalty for anyone found guilty by confession or trial.
And it’s estimated as many as one in every 1,000 people were tried and killed.
It has been described as a reign of terror in which small-town gossip could consign someone to a death sentence.
Confessions were obtained by the accused being caught, publicly stripped and then shaved in search of ‘witches’ marks’.
They were then tortured, hung, tarred or burned, in most cases in that order.
And the brutal acts were usually carried out by clergymen or church elders.
Brechin Cathedral still has a witches’ bar and shackle loops cemented to the walls in the square tower.
The town’s chains and bridle are kept in the Town House Museum.
Records have revealed three women were executed as witches in 1650 – Marat Merchant, Janet Couper and Katherine Skair.
Others received noncapital punishment in 1649 and 1650 – James Shanks, Thomas Kyneir, John Chrystison, Isobel Reamy and Thomas Humbell.
The remaining names on the stone are those whose fate is unknown.
The earliest is Janet Gardiner from 1618, along with Janet Coupere, John Donaldson, Isobell Fordell, Catherine Walker and Elspet Gray, all branded witches between 1649 and 1659.
In June, the Town House museum is to open an exhibition marking the cathedral’s 800 years.
But the long-term future of the landmark remains uncertain after the Church of Scotland held its final service last year.