The Agency of the Women Accused in the Witch-trial in Bute, Scotland in 1662

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the witch-trial that took place in Bute, Scotland in 1662 and argues for the agency and power presented with the women accused. The prosecution of these witches in Bute, Scotland is a case-study that demonstrates the need to examine historical sources critically and with consideration for the complexity of individuals. This thesis takes into account the vast historical scholarship which relates to this topic, especially literature which uses gender as a way of analyzing cases of witch accusations in early modern Scotland. Volume three of the Highland Papers includes the transcription that is primarily utilized for the analysis undertaken. The methodology guiding this work includes archival and library research, feminist theories, concepts like the social imagination, and microhistory. Through critical analysis of details and examples present within the records on the witch-trial in Bute, Scotland, I have shown that the women accused of witchcraft were complex people who found ways to take on active roles and hold power while navigating their lives.