Execution Statistics
How did confession, torture, charges, and personal characteristics relate to the likelihood of execution? All figures are based on trial records and count executions per trial.
Impact of Confession & Torture on Execution Rate
| Group | Trials | Executions | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confession + Torture | 22 | 9 | 40.9% |
| Torture only | 30 | 4 | 13.3% |
| Confession only | 734 | 91 | 12.4% |
| Neither | 2,425 | 126 | 5.2% |
By Marital Status
| Status | Trials | Exec. | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | 17 | 2 | 11.8% |
| Widowed | 170 | 20 | 11.8% |
| Married | 641 | 60 | 9.4% |
Execution Rate by Charge Type
— Does being charged with a specific offence correlate with execution?
Maleficium
| Trials | Exec. | Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not charged | 3,170 | 213 | 6.7% |
| Charged | 41 | 17 | 41.5% |
Demonic Pact
| Trials | Exec. | Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not charged | 3,181 | 223 | 7.0% |
| Charged | 30 | 7 | 23.3% |
Witches' Meeting
| Trials | Exec. | Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not charged | 2,869 | 147 | 5.1% |
| Charged | 342 | 83 | 24.3% |
Execution Rate by Primary Accusation Motive
— Why was the person accused? Motives with fewer than 5 associated trials excluded.
| Motive | Trials | Exec. | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neighbourhood dispute | 65 | 26 | 40% |
| Maleficium | 50 | 18 | 36% |
| Folk healing | 48 | 17 | 35.4% |
| Demonic | 78 | 16 | 20.5% |
| Fairies | 10 | 2 | 20% |
| Treason | 6 | 1 | 16.7% |
| Demonic possession | 57 | 7 | 12.3% |
| Refused charity | 10 | 1 | 10% |
| Named by another accused | 42 | 3 | 7.1% |
| White magic | 7 | 0 | 0% |
| Consulting a witch | 12 | 0 | 0% |
| Property motive | 6 | 0 | 0% |
A case can have more than one primary motive, so totals exceed overall trial counts.
By Trial County
— Counties with fewer than 5 trials excluded
| County | Trials | Exec. | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumfries | 23 | 14 | 60.9% |
| Lanark | 5 | 3 | 60.0% |
| Aberdeen | 34 | 18 | 52.9% |
| Shetland | 9 | 4 | 44.4% |
| Edinburgh | 47 | 19 | 40.4% |
| Ayr | 10 | 4 | 40.0% |
| Renfrew | 32 | 12 | 37.5% |
| Orkney | 18 | 6 | 33.3% |
| Perth | 10 | 3 | 30.0% |
| Haddington | 18 | 5 | 27.8% |
| Ross | 6 | 1 | 16.7% |
| Fife | 15 | 2 | 13.3% |
| Peebles | 10 | 1 | 10.0% |
| Not recorded | 2,934 | 136 | 4.6% |
| Stirling | 14 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Linlithgow | 9 | 0 | 0.0% |
Execution Rate by Decade
— Bars show execution rate %; line shows number of trials
| 1560s | 1570s | 1580s | 1590s | 1600s | 1610s | 1620s | 1630s | 1640s | 1650s | 1660s | 1670s | 1680s | 1690s | 1700s | 1710s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 trials | 8 trials | 5 trials | 56 trials | 14 trials | 24 trials | 29 trials | 30 trials | 41 trials | 94 trials | 44 trials | 83 trials | 11 trials | 25 trials | 33 trials | 1 trials |
| 0 exec. | 3 exec. | 0 exec. | 28 exec. | 5 exec. | 8 exec. | 13 exec. | 12 exec. | 15 exec. | 15 exec. | 24 exec. | 23 exec. | 0 exec. | 8 exec. | 0 exec. | 0 exec. |
| 0.0% | 37.5% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 35.7% | 33.3% | 44.8% | 40.0% | 36.6% | 16.0% | 54.5% | 27.7% | 0.0% | 32.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
How the Accused Was Named — Outcome
— Based on mentions in other accused persons' trials
| Named as | Accused | Guilty % | Exec. % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Witchcraft Precedent | 8 | 87.5% | 87.5% |
| Known Witch | 27 | 40.7% | 44.4% |
| Accomplice | 139 | 43.2% | 39.6% |
| Consulted | 3 | 33.3% | 33.3% |
| Previously Tried | 3 | 33.3% | 33.3% |
| Denounced | 96 | 29.2% | 30.2% |
Confession & Torture Rate by Charge Type
— Were certain charges associated with more coercion?
Maleficium
| Trials | Conf. % | Tort. % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not charged | 3,170 | 23.3% | 1.5% |
| Charged | 41 | 39.0% | 7.3% |
Demonic Pact
| Trials | Conf. % | Tort. % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not charged | 3,181 | 23.5% | 1.6% |
| Charged | 30 | 23.3% | 6.7% |
Witches' Meeting
| Trials | Conf. % | Tort. % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not charged | 2,869 | 20.4% | 1.3% |
| Charged | 342 | 50.0% | 4.4% |
Commissions & Higher Authority Involvement
The appeal records in this dataset primarily represent commissions and petitions from presbyteries and local authorities to higher bodies (Privy Council, Parliament, etc.) requesting permission to arrest, try, or judge a suspect — not post-verdict appeals. Of 3,211 trials, 182 (5.7%) have a commission record.