The Witches’ Well in Edinburgh: Remembering the Women Burned for Witchcraft

Modern symbols of witchcraft — candles, pumpkins, and skulls — often romanticise the past. But in 16th-century Edinburgh, women accused of witchcraft faced torture, execution and fear, not fantasy.

Edinburgh has a long memory — its stone closes hold stories of power, betrayal, and fear. Some of the darkest involve the hundreds of women the city once accused of witchcraft.

Between the 16th and 18th centuries, over 300 people — most of them women — were executed for witchcraft in Edinburgh. They were blamed for bad weather, failed crops, sick animals and sudden deaths. Sometimes, their only crime was being clever. Or outspoken. Or alone.

One of the most well-known victims was Agnes Sampson.

She wasn’t a sorcerer or a spellcaster. She was a midwife and healer from East Lothian — respected in her community, known for her remedies and knowledge. People trusted her to help during illness and childbirth. She was experienced, independent and widowed. That was enough to make her suspicious.

In 1590, King James VI returned from Denmark with his new bride, Anne. Their sea journey was rough — storms battered their ships, and one nearly sank. James, already fascinated by tales of witchcraft, became convinced that witches had tried to kill him by stirring the sea with magic.

He launched a series of witch trials — brutal, sweeping, and backed by royal power. It was the beginning of Scotland’s most infamous witch hunts.

Another woman, Gelis Duncan, had already been arrested and tortured. Under pressure, she gave names — and one of them was Agnes Sampson.

Agnes was taken to Holyrood Palace, not as a guest, but as a prisoner. Her hair was shaved. She was shackled in chains. And she was tortured — so cruelly, so relentlessly — that in the end, she confessed to anything just to make it stop. She admitted to impossible things: raising storms by throwing a dead cat into the sea, making pacts with the devil, flying through the night on the devil’s command.

None of it was true.But that didn’t matter.

In January 1591, Agnes was dragged to the Castle Esplanade, just outside the gates of Edinburgh Castle. There, in full view of the city, she was strangled and burned at the stake.

Her death was public. Deliberate. Designed not just to punish — but to terrify.

Today, that same spot is part of the Castle's parade ground. Tourists walk across it every day without knowing what happened there.

But just beside the castle gates, tucked into the wall, is a small fountain called the Witches’ Well. It’s easy to miss. But it marks the place where so many women died in fear and silence.

The plaque reads:“This fountain is near the site on which many witches were burned at the stake.”

But let’s be clear:They weren’t witches. They were women. Midwives. Widows. Healers. Mothers. They were caught in a storm of fear — and burned for it.

We remember their stories not because they had magic powers, but because they were human beings whose lives were taken in the name of superstition and control.

Edinburgh remembers its kings and castles. It must also remember this.

Want to uncover more hidden stories beneath Edinburgh’s streets? Browse our Edinburgh History Walks Map