​  CREATIVE COVEN 1563

I established the Coven to bring together creatives whose work was inspired by the Scottish Witch Hunts. They are Karen Strang, Linda Morrow, Marianne Berghuis, Katy Bremer, Jane Mather, Crabbit Carlin and Helen Wright. I have campaigned for a National Day of Remembrance for Scotland's accused witches, produced sold-out performances, visual art, workshops and exhibitions. The Weaving Creative Threads event, which was part of an artistic reclamation of the historic date of the Witchcraft Act of 1563. This was followed by a ceremony and a speaking of the four thousand names of Scotland's accused witches, at Dunfermline Abbey on the 4th of June 2024. 

​

The Unknown Witch memorial film that can be viewed below contains 625 portraits done by professional, amateur artists and members of the public.  There is one for each person without a name in the trial records. The piper and composer who wrote the piobaireachd is Karen McCrindle Warren who kindly gave permission for this to be used in the film. The memorial piece is titled The Burning of the Witches on Whitesands. 

​

We opened our Visions and Voices of the Witch exhibition at the Carnegie Gallery in Dunfermline a year later, in a creative response to the Witchcraft Act of 1563. It ran for two months and featured almost sixty multi-media works of visual and literary art including the seven foot wicker Devil, emotive sculptures of  the accused, large ink and stitch portraits and my coven of witch children miniatures. It received public acclaim. 

 

Then, WITCH, the Book of Remembrance was launched at our memorial event in June 2026. It is a creative weaving of art, prose & poetry amongst the ashen names of the four thousand daughters and sons of Scotland who were persecuted for the crime of witchcraft during the burning times. The aim of the book was to preserved these names and unknown entries in a beautiful memorial book.  It included visual and literary art submissions from members of the online community, as well as work from the Creative Coven 1563. A limited number of copies are available to purchase. 

​

This work was the completion of a personal promise made long ago to the ancestral accused. Currently we are all working on individual projects and our creative works are a memorial to the daughters and sons of Scotland who suffered grave injustice during the burning times.

​

As an ongoing act of remembrance, The Creative Coven established a memorial grove in the Caledonian forest. This grove is a living, breathing memorial to the 4,000 accused witches of Scotland. It was initially funded by our Weaving Creative Threads Event in 2024, which marked our reclamation of June 4th, the historic date of the Witchcraft Act of 1563, as a National Day of Remembrance for Scotland's Accused Witches. You can purchase a memorial tree in the witches’ grove at https://treesforlife.org.uk/groves/502293/

​​​​

VISION AND MISSION

Our Vision is to give voice to those who suffered historic persecution, torture, and execution of thousands (mainly women) during the Scottish witch hunts. Our Mission is to explore the historical persecution of the Scottish witch hunts through the evocative and emotive power of the arts. 

 

BELIEF AND VALUES

We believe in the acts of remembrance and reclamation to raise awareness of the Scottish witch hunts. We value all art forms as an active expression of political challenge to the injustice of the Witchcraft Act of 1563.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​​​

​