Hanging and burning witches on Fetlar and in Scalloway.
Contributors
Fieldworkers
Date
13 July 1976
Track ID
86149
Part 1
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1976.087
Original Tape ID
Summary
Hanging and burning witches on Fetlar and in Scalloway.
The contributor tells of witch curses on fishing boats and the last witch hanged on the Gallow Hill on 1703 for the loss of a sixareen [six-oared fishing boat]. He describes the tradition where relatives were allowed to pull on the feet of the hanged to hasten their end. Burnings were commoner in Scalloway where so many witches were executed that there was a heap of ashes.
Item Location
County - Shetland
Parish - Fetlar
Island - Fetlar
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good