North Berwick Witch Trials: What Caused Them and What Really Happened
The North Berwick witch trials saw 70+ Scots accused of witchcraft after King James VI blamed storms on dark magic. Here's what happened.
North Berwick Witch Trials: What Caused Them and What Really Happened
The North Berwick Witch Trials: How a Storm at Sea Turned a Scottish Town Against Its Own Women Most people who know one witch trial know the Salem one. It's the name that gets taught, referenced, turned into plays. But almost two centuries before Salem, Scotland had already run its own brutal experiment in mass accusation — and it started, of all things, with bad weather on a royal honeymoon trip. Between 1590 and 1592, in the East Lothian town of North Berwick, more than seventy people were branded witches and put through unimaginable suffering. Some were burned alive. The whole thing traces back to one king's conviction that someone had tried to drown him at sea using dark magic. This is the story of the North Berwick witch trials, and how paranoia at the top of Scottish society trickled down into torture chambers. A Royal Wedding Voyage Gone Wrong The story starts in 1589. King James VI of Scotland was sailing to Denmark to marry his bride-to-be, Anne. Nothing about the cross…
About the author
Subham Halder is the creator and author of True Horror Feed. He researches and writes about true scary stories, paranormal experiences, folklore, urban legends, mythology, and unexplained incidents, with an emphasis on distinguishing documented info…
