Claims of witchcraft persecution have cast a spell on the true facts

ROSEMARY GORING (“Pardons do matter to make amends to those wronged”, The Herald, October 25) repeats the claim 81 witches were burned in Prestonpans during the era of witchcraft persecution.

The origin of this myth is that a decade or so ago a wealthy businessman bought the title “Baron of Prestoungrange” and decided to reconvene the local Baron Court and pardon the 81 witches his informants believed had been convicted in the late 16th century.

This attracted wide attention, and was a shrewd and very successful advertising ploy.

At the risk of spoiling the fun, however, it may be worth pointing out baron courts and church courts were absolutely not empowered to try witchcraft cases.

There were only two legal processes for trying witchcraft: one was through the High Court of Justiciary, and the other was for the interested parties to apply for a special “commission” from the Privy Council or from Parliament to try the case locally.

Baron Baillies were allowed to question suspects, but had no powers to judge them.

Obviously, then, since the Prestongrange Baron Court could never have condemned witches in the first place, a resurrected 21st century re-enactment could hardly pardon them.

Quite apart from that, a total of 81 witches condemned in Prestonpans is likely to be inaccurate. I spent several years researching East Lothian witchcraft from original sources, and found evidence for just over 200 executions in the whole county between 1590 and 1700.

During the notorious North Berwick witchcraft panic of 1590-91, “evidence” was extorted of a witch meeting at Acheson’s Haven near Prestonpans.

What the Baron of Prestongrange’s informants seem to have done is assumed that everyone mentioned in the course of the North Berwick and Acheson’s Haven affairs must have been arrested, condemned and executed – an assumption they were hardly entitled to make.

It is shameful even one woman should have been deprived of her life for practising witchcraft, but if any more than half a dozen Prestonpans residents can be proven to have been executed for it between 1590 and 1700, I will eat my pointy hat. D. M. Robertson, 47 Forthview Road, Longniddry, East Lothian.