PEEBLESSHIRE residents have launched a public questionnaire to gather views on the potential for a new memorial to honour the memory of those executed under the Witchcraft Act 1563.

In 1629, 27 locals from Peebles and the surrounding area were imprisoned, tortured, given a sham trial, then executed.

Although accused of being witches or consorting with the devil, the victims were just normal people, local campaigners claim.

With the 400th anniversary of that dark event approaching, Peebles residents Elisa Smith and Simon Ritchie are keen to ensure the victims’ memory is honoured with a small memorial in the town.

Elisa said: “The idea that in 1629, in this small town 27 people would have been hunted down, tortured, tried and then murdered in public for something as spurious as consorting with the devil is horrific.

"It would have had an enormous impact on the people left behind, and it’s actually only a small number in the overall numbers of victims in Scotland.

"In a country of only one million people, 4,000 were accused of being witches and 2,500 were executed. Eighty-five per cent of these were women. In some places in the world women are still being executed for ‘witchcraft’.

"I feel it’s time to recognise these poor souls and to have a memorial in Peebles where we can reflect of their wrongful prosecution and executions, and to reflect on the way in which miscarriages of justice are still being perpetrated all over the world even today."

The 27 people who were executed in 1629 were: Agnes Chalmers, Sussanna Elphinstoun, Margaret Yerkine, William Thomesoun, William Mathesoun, Thomas Stoddart, Agnes Robesoun, Katherine Broun, Marie Johnestoun, Janet Hendersoun, Agnes Thomesoun, Katherine Wode, Marion Crosier, Issobel Haddock, Gilbert Hogg, Jean Watsoun, Margaret Dicksoun, Margaret Johnestoun, Janet Achesoun, Bessie Ur, Katherine Alexander, Helen Beatie, Margaret Gowanlock, Marion Boyd, Katherine Mairschell, Patrick Lintoun, and John “Joke” Graham.

Joining Elisa to launch the questionnaire, Simon added: “We want a small memorial installed somewhere in Peebles to serve as a reminder of that dark year. Our community needs to focus on the future, of course, but remember our past and the lessons of the past.

“We are not asking for any public money for this. That would be totally wrong in the current cost-of-living crisis when so many people are struggling. We are planning to fundraise via donations.

“The location of the memorial, the design of it, and whether it happens at all, are all up to the people of Peebles. That’s why we are launching a questionnaire asking for their views.”

Questionnaire respondents can also enter a free prize draw to win a copy of Borders Witch Hunt: The Story of the 17th Century Witchcraft Trials in the Scottish Borders, signed by the author, Mary W. Craig.

The questionnaire can be found online at shorturl.at/iGJNU.

The campaigners plan to present their findings to Peebles Community Council on May 12.