A petition is to be presented to the Scottish Parliament which seeks "a grant of a posthumous pardon to all persons convicted in Scotland under all Witchcraft legislation". Petition 208 has been raised by Ewan Irvine, on behalf of Full Moon Investigations.

The Witchcraft Act was in force in Scotland between 1563 and 1736. During this time some 4000 people were accused of witchcraft, 85% of them women. Many of these were tortured to obtain "confessions" and those found guilty were executed.

In 1736 the original Witchcraft Act was repealed and replaced by a crime of "pretended witchcraft" which carried a sentence of up to one year's imprisonment. The last person to be convicted under this act was Scottish medium Helen Duncan in 1944. She had the misfortune to tell those present at a seance that a warship had sunk - before the news of such a sinking was released to the public.

It's a national disgrace that people were still locked up for witchcraft - even the "pretend" kind - as late as 1944. This pardon, if granted, will be long overdue.

Tags: Helen Duncan, Parliament, Witchcraft