Judith Langlands-Scott
Judith Langlands-Scott | |
|---|---|
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| Occupation | Historian |
Judith Langlands-Scott is a historian from Forfar in Scotland specialising in the 17th and 18th century Scottish witch hunts.[1][2]
Career
Langlands-Scott is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.[3] She works with research partner, Shaun Wilson, as Forfar’s Witch Trial historians, and the pair work closely with the Meffan Institute to host talks on the Forfar Witch Trials.[4]
Langlands-Scott has been a longstanding campaigner and spoken out in support of Scotland acknowledging the women killed as accused witches:
“People are still haunted by what happened. King James was obsessed with the bible and believed he was God's representative – and he was obsessed with the idea that the witches were multiplying. Historians widely agree that following the death of his mother [Mary, Queen of Scots] he was brought up to think that women were feeble and easily manipulated because of their carnal desires.”[1]
Langands-Scott and Wilson organised a memorial service in 2022 for people persecuted as witches in 17th-century Scotland.[5] In November 2023, Langlands-Scott unveiled a plaque commemorating the women in Forfar wrongly convicted of witchcraft. More than 50 women were falsely accused in the Angus town in the 1600s and many of them were killed.[6] The plaque was created by artists, Kayleigh Skye Esplin and Andrew Rose.[6][7] Esplin explained the motivation behind the plaque's creation:
"For the plaque we decided to zone and be a bit more positive. To celebrate the life the ‘witches’ had and how it was just people, rather than all the brutality and victimisation that was put on them."[6]
Langlands-Scott has campaigned for the Scottish Parliament to pardon those historically convicted as witches.[8]
Publications
- Jindal-Snape, Divya; Keiller, Andrew; Kelly, Lynn; Langlands-Scott, Judith; Murray, Christopher; Snape, Anj; Snape, Jonathan B.; Snape, Nik; Warden, Freddie; Whittingham, Bryan (November 2017). Fibromyalgia and us: Living with fibromyalgia. University of Dundee.
References
- 1 2 Baker, Lindsay (16 May 2025). "'People are still haunted by what happened': How history's brutal witch trials still resonate now". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
- ↑ Ducourtieux, Cécile (20 January 2023). "Feminist activists and historians are rehabilitating Scotland's 'witches'". Le Monde. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
- ↑ "Public List of Fellows". Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ↑ "Visitor Advisors continued professional development with Museums Galleries Scotland • ANGUSalive". angusalive.scot. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
- ↑ Ward, Stewart (30 October 2022). "Memorial for witches to be held in bid to 'avoid history repeating'". The National. p. 11.
- 1 2 3 Clark, Callum (2 December 2023). "New plaque aims to increase awareness of women convicted of witchcraft". STV News. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
- ↑ "Memorial plaque to be unveiled in tribute to accused Scottish witches". The National. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
- ↑ "MPSs urged to push forward with witches pardon bill". The National. 15 February 2024. p. 22.
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