The Weem Witch

by Leonard Low

In March 1704 Patrick Morton, a 16-year-old blacksmith in the coastal Fife town of Pittenweem, claimed to have found a witch's spell left at his door - a wooden bucket containing a fire coal and some water. At once he felt ill, or so he said - he could barely stand, had no appetite, became emaciated. In May he started to have fits. Morton accused several local women of tormenting him by witchcraft, setting off a witch-hunt reminiscent of the Middle Ages, dragging innocent women and men into a snare of repression and death, The Weem Witch tells the story of the Pittenweem witches, using contemporary documents to bring a horrifying episode in Scotland's past under the spotligh

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Ashleigh (a frolic through fiction) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled on this one randomly when scouring through shelves of Scottish history books searches for something exactly like this - a more in depth, personal account of witchcraft history in Scotland. It is fair to say this book is not an easy read. Leonard Low doesn’t shy away from listing the horrendous acts carried out against those accused of witchcraft, but I appreciated the tone and care taken in recounting these stories. The author does clearly insert his own opinion, but this is acknowledged and I think many who would pick up this book would have the same general thoughts upon reading.

I’m glad this little book exists to help document the lives (and deaths) of the people of Pittenweem.

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched by a local writer into a local issue. However, the 'locals' in 1704 were not a very pleasant bunch. Probably the, story of Scottish witches could be repeated all over the country, each with its own perspective. In Pittenweem, the driving force was the parish minister.

[Amie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating history of the witch trials in little Pittenweem, Scotland. Excellent history of the little town during that timeframe.

[Lesley-anne Brewster]

Pacy, well informed.

[Gillian Dailly · Rating 5 out of 5]

After visiting Leonards museum in Leven I bought this amazing book.
Easy to read and full of facts and stories. I couldn't put it down and I am looking forward to getting started on his next book.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

picked this book up in a cafe in Scotland. looked to buy it second hand but had no luck. had to leave scotland with out the book. hope to find it someday again. the two chapters were great!.. Maria sent me the book after I got back to Germany. Read it over the summer. very interesting but it eventually dragged near the end.