Bit late for that!

SORRY WE BURNT YOU AT STAKE

Oct 30 2004

Town pardons 81 witches PUMPKIN UP THE VOLUME FOR HALLOWEEN

By Russell Falls

A TOWN is to pardon 81 people executed as witches more than 400 years ago.

The pardons will be declared in front of descendants of the victims at a Halloween ceremony in Prestonpans, East Lothian.

More than3500Scots,mainly women, were executed in the 16th and 17th centuries. Many were killed for owning black cats or brewing remedies.

The Prestonpans pardons were granted by an ancient court headed by the local laird.

Now local historian Roy Pugh, who gave evidence on behalf of the alleged witches, will clear their names publicly at a 'simple and solemn' ceremony.

He said: 'It will recognise the crimes against these people.

'It's too late to apologise. But it's a sort of symbolic recognition that these people were put to death because of hysterical ignorance and paranoia.'

Laird Dr Gordon Prestoungrange pardoned the 'witches' before his Baronial Court is abolished next month under laws passed by MSPs in 2000 to end Scotland's feudal system.

The court also ruled that there should be an annual ceremony recalling what happened to the victims.

A court spokeswoman said: 'A lot of local people are intrigued by what we are doing, so we hope to get a good turnout on Sunday.

'The ceremony is on Halloween but it will not be flippant. It has a serious purpose - we're respecting these unfortunate individuals.'

quote:

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Originally posted by mangogrooveworkshop

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a view is that most people put to death in this way were women.

It is said that the reasons were

1. women would become too important if they had the power to cure, and it didnt suit social order

2. that it upset the medical societies, that lay women could do things they could not.


so they killed them.

apartf from Salem, which was of course just some crazy little bitch and her mates making stuff up about people.

atb

steve