A new tartan has been registered memorialising the people in Scotland who were persecuted for witchcraft.
The new Witches of Scotland tartan is intended to honour the Scots, primarily women, who were executed as a result of the country’s Witchcraft Act. The Act, which was in place between 1563 and 1736, defined witchcraft as a crime and resulted in thousands of deaths.
The Witches of Scotland tartan, which was registered on February 11, is part of a campaign to bring attention to the unjustified executions of women across the country. It was created by Claire Mitchell KC and Zoe Venditozzi, who are the founders of the Witches of Scotland campaign, after becoming inspired by the V&A Dundee’s Tartan exhibition.
The tartan features a predominantly black and grey colour scheme. These colours represent the dark period in history during which the Act was enforced, as well as the ashes of those who were burned.
It also includes red and pink colours, which are intended to represent the legal tapes that were used to bind papers during the time of the Witchcraft Act. Meanwhile, the 173 threads in the tartan’s black squares symbolise the number of years the Act was enforced.
Also featured in the pattern is black and grey surrounding a white check of three threads. These threads represent the primary objectives of the Witches of Scotland, which are to ensure a pardon, an apology, and that memorials are constructed.
The tartan can only be woven with permission granted by an officer of the Witches of Scotland. All of the proceeds generated will be donated to charity in an effort to further the campaign’s mission.
The Scottish Register of Tartans states: “This design was created to memorialise those who suffered as a result of The Witchcraft Act 1563 to 1736 in Scotland. This tartan will be woven to make products to help create a ‘living memorial’.”
Previously, former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon acknowledged the injustices of The Witchcraft Act. She issued a formal apology on International Women’s Day in 2022.
At the time, Sturgeon commented: “Firstly, acknowledging injustice, no matter how historic is important. This parliament has issued, rightly so, formal apologies and pardons for the more recent historic injustices suffered by gay men and by miners.
“Second, for some, this is not yet historic. There are parts of our world where even today, women and girls face persecution and sometimes death because they have been accused of witchcraft.
“And thirdly, fundamentally, while here in Scotland the Witchcraft Act may have been consigned to history a long time ago, the deep misogyny that motivated it has not. We live with that still.
“Today it expresses itself not in claims of witchcraft, but in everyday harassment, online rape threats and sexual violence.”