Maggie Wall
Maggie Wall (died Perthshire c. 1657), was believed to have been burned as a witch. She is best known for the memorial monument in Dunning, Perthshire inscribed with "Maggie Wall burnt here 1657 as a witch"[1][2][3][4]. The skull of Maggie Wall is claimed to be on display in the Saracen Head pub in Gallowgate, Glasgow[5][6].
Life
There is no public record of Maggie Wall, the only record of her is in anecdotal accounts and stories[2][5]. It remains a mystery whether she did exist. She is believed to have been condemned as a witch in the 17th century, as part of the Scottish Witch Trials[2][3].
There are a number of theories about her identity. One theory suggests she was a member of the Rollos family, a powerful family that lived in Duncrub Castle[1]. Another suggests she was part of a group of 120 women who attacked a group from the Presbytery of Perth who set out to discipline a minister, Rev. George Muschet. The group of women aimed to protect the Reverend from being disciplined, but it is thought that Maggie Wall could have been caught up in this and this might have resulted in her being burnt as a witch[4].
Death
Monument
The memorial monument can be found less than a mile outside of Dunning, a village in Perthshire in Scotland[2]. The monument stands 20ft (~6 metres) high, it is made of stones and resembles a cairn[1]. It has a stone cross on the top of it and bears the painted inscription "Maggie Wall burnt here 1657 as a witch"[1][2]. The monument is also known to have been visited by the Moors Murderers, Myra Hindley and Ian Brady in September 1965[5].
References
- ^ a b c d "Mysterious Memorial to a Burned Witch Called Maggie Wall". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
- ^ a b c d e "Maggie Wall's Memorial Feature Page on Undiscovered Scotland". www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
- ^ a b "The Tale of Maggie Wall". Scots Language Centre. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Dunning Parish Historical Society - Maggie Wall burnt as a witch". www.dunning.uk.net. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
- ^ a b c Dailyrecord.co.uk (2011-06-23). "Author solves Dunning witch mystery". Daily Record. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
- ^ "Dunning and Maggie Wall". The Glasgow Gallivanter. 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2020-10-30.