I have previously written extensively about the sad case of Lilias Adie, the Torryburn resident accused of practising witchcraft in the West Fife village back in 1704. Many women in these unenlightened times (and a few men) suffered the ordeal of a "trial" which of course resulted in being condemned to death if found guilty - often by burning. In any event, remains were disposed of and the final resting place went unlogged - except in the case of Lilias. She died during her incarceration and is unique in the sense that an exact grave exists. Her coffin was bundled into a swiftly-dug pit on the Torryburn foreshore and a stone slab dumped on top. The latter course of action was to prevent re-animation of the corpse by Auld Nick himself.
A century and a half later, Lillias's watery grave was plundered by wealthy local collector Sir Joseph Noel Paton who had amassed sufficient artefacts to build a private museum within his Dunfermline mansion. He was obsessed with the whole story of Lilias and had two walking sticks fashioned from the wood of her coffin - still in good condition due to the special conditions of the environment. One of the sticks was owned by Andrew Carnegie - Dunfermline's most famous son - and was donated to the Pittencrieff House Museum. The skull was taken from the grave and exhibited to the Fifeshire Medical Association in 1884. It thereafter resided at St Andrew's University but has since gone missing. It's last confirmed location was at the 1938 Empire Exhibition at Bellahouston Park, Glasgow. A photograph has however been preserved by the National Library of Scotland. From this image, forensic artists at the University of Dundee constructed virtual model of what Adie's face might have looked like. The story gained quite a bit of attention in the national media and people began researching her life and its tragic end. I first became aware of the tale after attending a talk by local historian and archaeologist Douglas Spiers. I have since attended another of his detailed lectures and he is clearly the go-to man for all things related to Lilias. I have met Doug on several occasions and he is always willing to chat about history in general. He set out to pinpoint the exact location of Lilias's burial site and after much tramping about in his wellies, identified a seaweed-covered slab not far from the high tide mark as the likely spot. The stone was clearly quarried and not a random glacial deposit. Crucially, the location tallied with the descriptions on documents from the period. I checked out the grave myself last year and have been aware of local interest in Lilias's story steadily growing. To this end, the Facebook group Fife Witches Remembered sprang up and quickly attracted a lot of members. Such was the interest from outside the Kingdom that the title was altered to Remembering the Accused Witches of Scotland.
Formal meetings have also taken place face to face and no doubt a group constitution solidified. Local councillor Kate Stewart was instrumental in setting up the organisation and was involved in a proposal to site a witch memorial in Torry Bay. I attended a public meeting but the residents' opinion was firmly against the erection of a decommissioned beacon which the council had lying around. I have blogged elsewhere about the proceedings and the frustration I felt, so won't repeat it all here. A light in the gloom was the fact the suggestion to place memorial plaques around the area received no objections. Which brings us to today's event. The stones were to be laid upon the Fife Coastal Path at Culross, Valleyfield and Torryburn - a sensible move as this walking route attracts huge numbers of visitors to the region. The unveiling ceremony was scheduled to take place on Culross Village Green and would be a socially distanced event. Given my interest in local history and previous investigation of Lilias's life, I couldn't miss a gathering like this. Nicole was up for it too. I had envisaged maybe 50 people turning up but when we arrived in Culross, parking was at a premium. I dropped Nicole off and went in search of a space. By the time I arrived in the village centre, the proceedings were about to begin and there must have been over 200 folk assembled. Unfortunately no microphones were used and it was very difficult to hear the announcements over the strong breeze and traffic noise. This inevitably led to people creeping closer to the orators which negated the whole concept of keeping at least two metres apart. Some people did complain about this on social media afterwards but it was purely a consequence of the speeches being inaudible from a distance, no recklessness intended.
Kate Stewart delivered the opening address and handed over to leading lawyer Claire Mitchell QC who has launched a campaign to pardon the the tortured (and let's face it, murdered) women. Also speaking was Lindsey Marchant from the nearby Greengate gallery. Ms Mitchell said - "I would be happy to see a memorial anywhere in Scotland but there is a particular resonance with Fife because so many people along this coast were executed as witches. We don’t have a central point of saying we’re sorry for what we did, or recognising it, or acknowledging it in any way". It is estimated that 380 Fifers were accused of practising black magic between the 16th and 18th centuries and many were imprisoned, tortured, hanged, then burned. A sobering thought and certainly not in keeping with any so-called age of enlightenment. Poor Lilias was even accused of copulating with the devil - in a cornfield no less! Normally you couldn't make this stuff up but the tragedy here is that people actually gave credence to the sensational claims. It was pleasing to see such a healthy turnout for an important cause and let's hope the plaques provoke thought among locals and visitors alike. As the official press photoshoot was in progress, I wandered over to piggyback on the action. We bumped into Douglas Spiers and he - as always - waxed loquaciously on the subject matter. Ronnie Collins was also milling around (try keeping him away from anything historical on his home turf!) and an informative afternoon out was nicely capped by the appearance of the Nelson's ice cream van - driven by a friendly local farmer we often meet on our walks around Culross. As Nicole remarked, it certainly does reinforce a sense of community when you bump into so many people you know. We had tea and cake in the café above the pottery and the headed home. Justice for the wrongly convicted witches shall prevail!
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