Witchcraft in Orkney

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Witchcraft in Orkney began with the Norse settlers who came to the islands from the 8th century. For a long time, magical beliefs were part of everyday life. In Scotland, witchcraft became a crime in 1563 and could end in death. One early Orcadian case was Allison Balfour in 1594. She and her family were tortured for two days to force a confession, and she was executed.

Most trials were held in St Magnus Cathedral, where prisoners were kept while being questioned. Those found guilty were taken to Gallow Ha in Kirkwall to be strangled and then burned. Old Norse laws also allowed authorities to seize a person’s property, which could ruin families. This practice was used by powerful figures in the islands to get what they wanted. In 1611 these Norse rules were replaced by Scottish law, and Bishop James Law began to run the courts on Orkney. The reforms did not bring fairness during the island’s most active witch-hunting years.

The worst period was from about 1615 to 1645. The first major cases under the new system were in 1615 in Westray: Jonet Drever and Katherene Bigland were found guilty but got different punishments. Drever was flogged in public and banished; Bigland was tied to a stake, strangled, and burned. Many accusations came from vague ideas of witchcraft, but some came from claims of dealing with the Devil or with fairies.

In 1616 Elspeth Reoch was convicted after saying she had met the Devil in the form of a fairy. Trials continued for decades, often about healing powers, harming livestock, or predicting deaths. By 1643 there could be as many as 24 accused in one year, and about 90 percent of those charged were women.

In total, 68 people were accused in Orkney, and witch-hunting here ended around 1708, similar to parts of mainland Scotland. The island’s trials were shaped by local church and sheriff courts rather than the Privy Council. The stories reflect long-standing beliefs in witches, fairies, and magic, along with the rough realities of poverty, power, and fear in Orkney.