Witches, Devils and the Fairy Folk in Scottish records of the 16th and 17th centuries’

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Scotland was gripped by a wave of paranoia and hysteria surrounding witchcraft. Joins us at Cambusbarron Library for a fascinating talk from Stirling Council Archivist Pam McNicol featuring stories from the records held at the Council Archives of people who were accused of witchcraft and investigated by their local Parish and the Presbytery of Stirling.

These were real, often marginalised, people who became caught up in a period of hysteria about the presence of potentially evil influences in tight-knit local communities where health care for people and animals was virtually non-existent. All of which took place during a time of extreme political and religious upheaval.