Stories of witchcraft in Scotland go back to the real Macbeth in the tenth century. The 1600s in particular saw a frenzy of witch hunting. Backed by a cruel law and exhorted by fanatical preachers, neighbour turned against neighbour, decimating whole families and villages. Many innocents perished, facing prosecution, torture, and execution.


Leonard Low reveals the stories of these cases. In his personal and accessible style, he examines the circumstances and outcomes of over thirty witch trials, sees the petty jealousies that often led to horrible results, and visits the handful of monuments that commemorate the victims of superstition. The author draws on his extensive collection of primary sources, letters, diaries, and authentic instruments used to extract confessions.


If you are interested in the real stories of witch trials, Scottish history, or curious how peaceful communities could descend into violent oppression, this book will show you how it happened.


This book is filled with illustrations and photographs of the actual sites and instruments, and contains a list of names of those prosecuted in Fife.