The North Berwick Witch Trials

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The North Berwick witch trials were the trials in 1590 of a number of people from East Lothian, Scotland, accused of witchcraft in the St Andrew's Auld Kirk in North Berwick. They ran for two years and implicated seventy people. The accused included Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell on charges of high treason. The "witches" held their covens on the Auld Kirk Green, part of the modern-day North Berwick Harbour area. The confessions were extracted by torture.

This was the first major witchcraft persecution in Scotland, and began with a sensational case involving the royal houses of Denmark and Scotland. King James VI sailed to Copenhagen to marry Princess Anne, sister of Christian IV, King of Denmark. During their return to Scotland they experienced terrible storms and had to shelter in Norway for several weeks before continuing. The admiral of the escorting Danish fleet blamed the storm on the wife of a high official in Copenhagen whom he had insulted. Several nobles of the Scottish court were implicated, and witchcraft trials were held in both countries.

Very soon more than a hundred suspected witches in North Berwick were arrested, and many confessed under torture to having met with the Devil in the church at night, and devoted themselves to doing evil, including poisoning the King and other members of his household, and attempting to sink the King's ship. One of the accused in particular, Agnes Sampson was examined by James VI at his palace of Holyrood House. She was fastened to the wall of her cell by a witch's bridle, an iron instrument with four sharp prongs forced into the mouth, so that two prongs pressed against the tongue, and the two others against the cheeks. She was kept without sleep, thrown with a rope around her head, and only after these ordeals did Agnes Sampson confess to the fifty-three indictments against her. She was finally strangled and burned as a witch.

Nearly 2,000 witchcraft trials survive in the Scottish archives, the vast majority from the period 1620-1680. According to author T.C. Smout, between 3,000 and 4,000 accused witches may have been killed in Scotland in the years 1560-1707.

If I remember my history correctly, there may have been more to the accusation of witchcraft against Francis Stewart, I am almost sure that this is the Francis Stewart who was in fact, a cousin of sorts to King James.
Bear with me, while I will give you a little bit of history, but I always thought that his uncle
James Hepburn Lord Bothwell was the first Earl, and that Francis, the son of his sister inherited his title.

James Hepburn was of course the second husband of Mary Queen of Scots and some believe the murderer of Henry Lord Darnley, Father of James VI.
He had a sister called Janet, said to be a 'wild and untameable thing', who married one of Mary Queen of Scots, illegitimate brothers. Said to be the favourite one, this made the Bothwell faction quite powerful in the eyes of Mary's enemies at court, including numerous other brothers who wanted her throne and this was before her marriage to Lord Darnley.
When Mary was forced to abducate, she fled south to England, and James Hepburn fled to Denmark, which was quite foolish of him because he had made enemies there. He had been 'married' to a Danish woman called Anne Thornsen.
Rumours during his life time in Scotland said that Bothwell had been a warlock and practised the Black Arts, otherwise how would Mary Queen of Scots abandoned her husband and young son. No doubt this was told over and over to the young king as he grew up, suspicious and unloved by those around him. Many his uncles who had been born on the wrong side of the bed and jealous of his kingship.
Francis Stewart, is said to have been fond of his Aunt the Queen, and had scolded the King for not doing more to have her released.
Hepburn died in Denmark, said to be mad, changed to a wall in a dungeon.
It would seem in those days, you could easily be accused of witchcraft if you had an enquiring mind or an interest in science.

Thanks Mags, I knew as soon as I posted it that you'd have some more info regarding this. As soon as I saw the royal conection I said to John that you would add to it

It is said that if you are a Stewart, or have Stewart blood, then there is a high chance that you may be related in some way to the Royal House of Stewart because most of the kings put it about a bit to say the least.
James V, Mary's own father was said to have several illegitimate children and in fact his eldest son was the cheif advisor (or plotter against, more to the point) to Mary when she first arrived in Scotland.

Really what a shame I don't have any Stuart blood, I might have had a claim to the throne

oh eck Queen Sarah

That's Ma'am to you

The Royal house of Stewart claimed the throne of Scotland when Robert the Bruce's grandson came to the throne, his daughter Marjorie had married into the house of Stewart who were originally the Stewards for the Kings of Scotland. There are several different clans of Stewarts, Stewart of Appin being one of them. The fact that this clan fought with their neighbours for hundreds of years, has had a lasting effecting on the history of Scotland as the Campbell's of Argyle originally came out on the side of the Hanoverian kings, and it is from their ranks that the 'Black Watch' regiment was formed by King William of Orange, to keep an eye on the rebellious Scots of the Highlands.
Not an easy tasks when it is believed that the second sight was quite common amongst certain families in the highlands.
That is why the Black Watch were a derivatvie of the Campbell tartan.
The spelling of Stewart in the royal house changed to Stuart when Mary went to France and married the Dauphin.