Witches in the Scottish Borders

Our Witch weathervane is one of our most popular designs, done with different familiars such as pet dogs and even rabbits in place of the cat. It's a great way to create a unique and unusual weathervane but as the front of the sail needs to balance, it's actually quite tricky getting it to the exact right size and place in order for the sail to function.

With Halloween approaching it's made me think of the history of witchcraft and its beginnings here in Scotland. The end of the 16th century was a deeply superstitious time. With little understanding of science and nature, a storm in the north sea was blamed on the devil, kickstarting decades of terror and torture for thousands of innocent women. King James VI was returning from Denmark with his new bride when their ship ran into stormy waters, not actually that surprising for there to be a storm out at sea but there you go, he fancied blaming someone, and a group of women from east lothian allegedly teaming up with the devil was his chosen scapegoat. Throughout the next couple of hundred years, people, usually women who lived alone were tried, tortured and executed as witches. The obsession with witchcraft came in waves, usually coinciding with a time of famine or disease.

However despite the horrible and dark history, the idea of witches and witchcraft has become a much loved part of popular culture for all ages.

One of my favourite bespoke weathervane designs was also loads of fun to create. Based on four sisters, you can read about the design of this unusual weathervane on our blog.