On this day at Castlehill in Edinburgh, the Scottish schoolmaster, John Fian, was burnt at the stake for witchcraft in what would later be known as the North Berwick witch trials. He was accused of bewitching townsfolk, preaching witchcraft, and, along with Agnes Sampson and others, of raising storms to sink the fleet of King James VI of Scotland and his wife Anne of Denmark as they returned from their wedding in Oslo. Fian confessed, retracted, confessed again, renounced Satan, escaped from prison, was captured, tortured and finally burnt at the stake. The cost of his execution was £5 18s 2d.
Thanks, very interesting . Did he stop witch-hunting when he became James 1st ?
I honestly, don’t know. I haven’t gone into his history that deeply, I’m afraid.
Did the Saint Inquisition have anything to do with it ?
I don’t think so, Carla. I think it was just King James VI’s obsession with witches! He released his best-selling book, ‘Daemonologie’, which explored the areas of witchcraft and demonic magic, shortly after assuming the throne.