The Devil’s Mark: The North Berwick Witch Trials in the Visual Arts
By Annie Coughlan
The frenzy of the European witch-craze across the 16th and 17th centuries maintains its legacy as a truly fascinating period of collective religious anxiety that culminated in the outbreak of community led violence. Indeed, Scotland was no exception to the list of countries affected by concerns about black magic, the first major persecution of witches north of the border recorded in North Berwick (1590-92). Fears around the work of witches arose during the reign of James VI who held a keen interest in the subject, publishing his almanac of malicious magical practises, Daemonologie, in 1597. When travelling to Denmark in 1598 to meet his new wife, the King was forced to turn back due to severe storms, an unusual natural phenomenon that James was soon convinced to be an assassination attempt by witches.
The North Berwick Witches in the local kirkyard, from a contemporary pamphlet, Newes from Scotland. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Yet, it’s interesting to explore the events of the North Berwick trials through its visual documentation. The pamphlet Newes from Scotland, printed in London in 1591, contains the only contemporary illustrations of the Scottish trial process for accusations of witchcraft and was the earliest printed document in Britain dedicated to the subject. One of the prints, ‘The North Berwick Witches meet the Devil in the local kirkyard’ can be explored as a central example of the imagery associated with acts of witchcraft that was circulated in this period. The image of the Devil of the left of the work appears a monstrous black creature while the witches themselves are presented as groups of young women. Such an illustration testifies to type of people who were accused during these trials, the victims of the witch craze typically poor women on the outskirts of society or occupying traditional roles in the community; documentation of the trials recount the accusation of Agnes Sampson, a midwife and Gellie Duncan, a healing woman. Moreover, the seascape in the upper left of the work further connects the work of witchcraft with King James’ near fatal voyage.
Karen Strang, The Drowning (2018). Oil on canvas. Courtesy of The Herald.
D. Pryke Thomas putting finishing touches on their work. Courtesy of East Lothian Courier.
However, the morbid appeal of the North Berwick Trials has not faded for artists working in the 21st Century. Indeed, contemporary artists such as Karen Strang have approached the horrors of the period in a distinctly different manner, considering the human experience of those who underwent torture and social humiliation in the 16th Century. Strang’s The Drowning (2018) vividly contrasts the much earlier prints, using abstract forms and contrasting colours to evoke the emotional turmoil and pain of the victims of the witch craze. The anthropomorphic figure on all fours, mouth stretched open in a ghostly wail, serves a vivid reminder of the pain that these women suffered and the loss of innocent lives. The sharp contrast between the orange and blue tones appears to denote pools of blood on the surface of the water, further accentuating the violence of the scene. Moreover, local Berwick artist D. Pryke Thomas used a disused phone box as an installation space to commemorate the lives and practises of the women who lost their lives in her local community over 500 years ago. Arranging herbs, ingredients for traditional healers’ recipes, figurines and candles, Thomas aimed to create a ‘witches’ pantry’ that showed a ‘realistic and true’ picture of these women whose folk practises ‘were more prayers and herbs than potions and spells’. Indeed, the history of the witch craze continues to fascinate and inspire visual artists to create meaningful and sensitive pieces that reflect on the treatment of vulnerable women in the 16th century.
Bibliography
‘Galleries: Putting the spotlight on witch-hunts’, The Herald, accessed 7th March 2024.
‘Newes from Scotland’, Wikipedia, accessed 7th March 2024.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Berwick_witch_trials>
Gregor Millar, ‘North Berwick: Art display pays tribute to victims of witch trials’, East Lothian Courier, accessed 7th March 2024.
Terry Stewart, ‘North Berwick Witch Trials’, Historic UK, accessed 7th March 2024.
<https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/North-Berwick-Witch-Trials/>