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40 Real People Executed for Witchcraft

Tim Flight October 15, 2019 27 min

10. Edinburgh executed Major Thomas Weir, a celebrated soldier, after he voluntarily confessed to witchcraft, incest and bestiality

West Bow: Midnight by A.A. Ritchie, a depiction of Major Thomas Weir’s flaming Satanic coach, Edinburgh, 1843. Urban Ghosts Media

Everyone in Scotland loved Major Thomas Weir, a celebrated soldier, Presbyterian and politician. But in 1670, he suddenly confessed to some appalling crimes. Without coercion, Weir announced that he’d committed incest with his sister and stepdaughter, bestiality, and been a witch. Weir admitted to making a pact with the devil, and owning a magical staff. No one believed him, but his sister corroborated everything, and admitted to keeping familiars. The Court of Edinburgh had no choice but to reluctantly execute one of the city’s most celebrated sons. Both were hanged, and Weir was burned to ashes. The siblings were likely insane.

Written by

Tim Flight

I am a freelance historical and literary writer based in West Yorkshire, UK. I read for a funded PhD in English at the University of Oxford (Magdalen College) and graduated in 2016. I am a former lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. My publications include peer-reviewed articles in academic publications, and pieces in mainstream magazines such as History Today and Fortean Times. For more information, please see www.drflight.co.uk