Witchcraft in Scotland: emotions and strategy

Abstract

This thesis explores the emotions and strategies of suspects who were prosecuted for witch craft in Scotland between 1563 (the year in which the Scottish Witchcraft Act was passed) and 1736(the date on which the Act was repealed). In recent years there has been an explosion of academic interest in the relationship between emotions and witchcraft. However much of this scholarly interest has focused upon witchcraft in continental Europe and in England. These studies have largely bypassed Scotland. This thesis addresses this gap by studying the emotional perspective of the accused witch during the Scottish witch hunts.

The thesis asks two questions. Firstly, what are the emotions displayed by the witches within the sources? Secondly, what can the strategies employed by the accused witch under interrogation tell us about their emotional framework? This research further investigates how the strategic negotiations displayed by some suspects during their prosecution process can enable a wider understanding of the emotional experience of suspects.

The principal sources used in this thesis are the primary records relating to the witch trials. As well as utilising the extensive historiography on witchcraft in Scotland, across Europe and from England, this thesis draws on research undertaken by scholars in such academic fields as psychology, philosophy, feminist studies, and criminology. This recent research can assist our understanding of the emotions displayed by the accused witch.The thesis examines both fear and anger, two emotions that are generally characterised as negative emotions. They typically frame the longstanding and widely held stereotypical characterisation of suspects as motivated to acts of witchcraft because of their negative emotional personalities.

The thesis also examines the witch’s own fears rather than the fear caused by the witch. The chapter on anger argues that the anger of the witch may be interpreted in gendered ways that reveal strategy and agency. Turning to the emotion of contempt, the thesis argues that it is possible to identify contempt displayed by the accused witch towards their interrogators through examining their use of petitions to the privy council to address their grievances. A chapter on positive emotions then explores the emotions of gratitude, pride, and love to show how these emotions shaped the strategies adopted by some of those accused of witchcraft. The chapter on self-conscious emotions examines whether, in addition to frequently acknowledging their legal guilt, the accused displayed signs of moral guilt or shame in respect of their alleged misdeeds.

The thesis uses micro-historical studies of individual cases to show that the emotional perspectives of the accused witch in Scotland were far broader than has hitherto been suggested.