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The Lowdown On Witches: True Stories of Scottish Witch Trails
Stories of witchcraft in Scotland go back to the real Macbeth in the tenth century. The 1600s in particular saw a frenzy of witch hunting. Backed by a cruel law and exhorted by fanatical preachers, neighbour turned against neighbour, decimating whole families and villages. Many innocents perished, facing prosecution, torture, and execution.
In this book, Leonard Low reveals the stories of these cases. In his personal and accessible style, he examines the circumstances and outcomes of over thirty witch trials, the petty jealousies that led to horrible results, and visits the handful of monuments that commemorate these victims of superstition. The author draws on his extensive collection of primary sources, letters, diaries, and authentic instruments used to extract confessions.
If you are interested in the real stories of witch trials, Scottish history, or curious how peaceful communities could descend into violent oppression, this book will show you how it happened.
“Leonard Low remains one of Scotland’s leading experts on the subject of Witches. As a regular contributor to Haunted Magazine he has imported a wealth of fascinating little known accounts in his unique style.” — Haunted Magazine.
Leonard Low was raised in Upper Largo and now resides in Leven, Fife. He wrote the popular books Largo’s Untold Stories , Scotland’s Untold Stories , and The Weem Witc h, as well as numerous magazine articles, and was a consultant to the television show Outlander .
In this book, Leonard Low reveals the stories of these cases. In his personal and accessible style, he examines the circumstances and outcomes of over thirty witch trials, the petty jealousies that led to horrible results, and visits the handful of monuments that commemorate these victims of superstition. The author draws on his extensive collection of primary sources, letters, diaries, and authentic instruments used to extract confessions.
If you are interested in the real stories of witch trials, Scottish history, or curious how peaceful communities could descend into violent oppression, this book will show you how it happened.
“Leonard Low remains one of Scotland’s leading experts on the subject of Witches. As a regular contributor to Haunted Magazine he has imported a wealth of fascinating little known accounts in his unique style.” — Haunted Magazine.
Leonard Low was raised in Upper Largo and now resides in Leven, Fife. He wrote the popular books Largo’s Untold Stories , Scotland’s Untold Stories , and The Weem Witc h, as well as numerous magazine articles, and was a consultant to the television show Outlander .
260 pages, Paperback
Published October 31, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 1, 2026
It feels weird writing a review for a book I DNF, but this is a *good* book. It talks in detail of several real people (mostly women) who fell victim to the mania of the masses and the bloodthirst of a minority of men.
This is an important part of our shared history, and this book will form part of my long-term collection of reference material.
This is an important part of our shared history, and this book will form part of my long-term collection of reference material.
November 5, 2025
Leonard knows his stuff, he has worked hard to shed light on a very dark period of history. May his museum grow from strength to strength.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews