A New Tartan Memorializes Those Executed Under Scotland’s Witchcraft Act

A new Scottish tartan has been crafted to honor the thousands of individuals—predominantly women—who were executed for witchcraft in Scotland between the 16th and 18th centuries. The Witches of Scotland, a movement advocating for "Justice for people accused and convicted under the Witchcraft Act 1563-1736," spearheaded this effort.

The initiative was driven by Witches of Scotland founders Claire Mitchell KC and Zoe Venditozzi, with the artistic vision brought to life by Clare Campbell, the creative mind behind the Prickly Thistle tartan mill. This meaningful design was formally registered on February 11, 2025, in the Scottish Register of Tartans.

The tartan's color palette is deeply symbolic: black and grey evoke the somberness of the period and the ashes of those who perished, while red stands for the bloodshed, and pink highlights the legal ties that bound the trial documents both then and now. Intricately woven into the fabric, the thread count subtly encodes the years 1563 and 1736 (1+5+6+3 = 15 and 1+7+3+6 = 17), these numbers are carefully included within the black and grey bands, encircling a white check pattern of three threads that symbolize the campaign’s three key goals: achieving a pardon, an apology, and establishing memorials. Additionally, the 173 black threads intricately stitched into the tartan’s squares commemorate the 173 years during which the Witchcraft Act was enforced.

https://www.witchesofscotland.com/
https://www.pricklythistlescotland.com/

Currently listening to...

..."Milking The Cow" by Scottish group Mouth Music, fronted by Martin Swan. I wrote about this song here on Oh, By The Way ten years ago and the song just popped up on my playlist. I am still so hypnotized by it and it certainly deserves a re-post.

"Milking The Cow" is a stunning anthropological study, from Mouth Music's second release, 1993's "Mo-Di" (a phonetic spelling of the French word "maudit" which means "cursed"). It is one of the most profound pop songs ever recorded; it reminds me a lot of Peter Gabriel's work on "Security" in which he examined the lives of African tribesmen through the lens of Carl Jung. Here, Mouth Music, in a phenomenal blend of Scottish and African sounds, sing about the most fundamental relationship: that of human being to animal and earth. Indigenous people have always drawn their mythology and cosmology from the environment around them and this is a beautiful, breathtaking expression of that. If a tribe comes from the jungle, they will have a pantheon of plant-based gods and jungle animal spirits in their cosmology. If a people come from an island or a seaside area, you can bet that their cosmology will include the sea, as well as sea creatures, as a spiritual force. If a tribe comes from an arid savannah with not much vegetation and only a handful of animals, then their cosmology centers on what sustains them and gives them life, much like the relationship between the Plains Indians of the United States and the buffalo. Take a listen to this powerful, moving song that abandons itself to the idea of the exhilarating, painful cycle of life, including death in all of its mess:

Spirit moving, living, breathing
Healing motion, feeling devotion

Under the desert sun
Two hearts beat as one
Rhythm of the living drum
Milking the cow
Pray for the rain to come
Blessings from the one
Milking the cow

Behold the shifting sand
The riches of our land
Life flows through our hands
Milking the cow
Beneath the darkened sky
Hear the spirit cry

To feed the cow is to praise the hand of God that moves before us
To milk the cow is to worship the spirit that breathes within us
To kill the cow is to accept the darkness deep within us
To spurn the cow is to spurn the gift of God that gives us life
Milk the cow and feel the rhythm that beats inside us
Touch the cow and feel the spirit that moves within us
Kill the cow and feel the sorrow that lies before us
In blood we are born, blood of the cow redeems us

Spirit moving, living, breathing
Healing motion, feeling devotion
Spirit moving, living, breathing
Healing motion, feeling devotion
Milking the cow

http://www.mouthmusic.co.uk/

Currently listening to...

..."Milking The Cow" by Scottish group Mouth Music, fronted by Martin Swan.

This song, a stunning anthropological study, came from their second release, 1993's "Mo-Di" (a phonetic spelling of the French word "maudit" which means "cursed"). It is one of the most profound pop songs ever recorded; it reminds me a lot of Peter Gabriel's work on "Security" in which he examined the lives of African tribesmen through the lens of Carl Jung. Here, Mouth Music sing about the most fundamental relationship: that of human being to animal and earth. Indigenous people have always drawn their mythology and cosmology from the environment around them and this is a beautiful, breathtaking expression of that. If a tribe comes from the jungle, they will have a pantheon of plant-based gods and jungle animal spirits in their cosmology. If a people come from an island or a seaside area, you can bet that their cosmology will include the sea, as well as sea creatures, as a spiritual force. If a tribe comes from an arid savannah with not much vegetation and only a handful of animals, then their cosmology centers on what sustains them and gives them life, much like the relationship between the Plains Indians of the United States and the buffalo. Take a listen to this powerful, moving song:

Spirit moving, living, breathing
Healing motion, feeling devotion

Under the desert sun
Two hearts beat as one
Rhythm of the living drum
Milking the cow
Pray for the rain to come
Blessings from the one
Milking the cow

Behold the shifting sand
The riches of our land
Life flows through our hands
Milking the cow
Beneath the darkened sky
Hear the spirit cry

To feed the cow is to praise the hand of God that moves before us
To milk the cow is to worship the spirit that breathes within us
To kill the cow is to accept the darkness deep within us
To spurn the cow is to spurn the gift of God that gives us life
Milk the cow and feel the rhythm that beats inside us
Touch the cow and feel the spirit that moves within us
Kill the cow and feel the sorrow that lies before us
In blood we are born, blood of the cow redeems us

Spirit moving, living, breathing
Healing motion, feeling devotion
Spirit moving, living, breathing
Healing motion, feeling devotion
Milking the cow

http://www.mouthmusic.co.uk/

BEAUTY: Men--Kilt Style

Above: Modern kilts which feature pockets on the outside are sometimes referred to as "utility kilts." These urban-styled examples are actually quite fashionable, in worsted wool, camouflage, and leather.

The above kilt and tartan are by venerable Italian men's tailoring company ISAIA, who have created bespoke suits for men since the 1950s. The tartan was created in 2010 for presentation at Pitti Uomo 2011, and is on record at the Scottish Register of Tartans.

There are many kilt accessories.

From left to right: 1) A kilt pin is usually worn at the bottom of the kilt, close to the hem. Kilt pins are generally a long, dagger-like shape and can be made of various metals, sometimes with semi-pecious jewels, or they can even be made of antler. 2) A "flash" is a little notched piece of fabric attached to a garter which holds up the kilt "hose." The top of the hose or sock is folded down to cover the garter so only the fabric is visible. 3) A belt with a buckle--often featuring a clan crest--can be added to the kilt. 4) The lace-up shoes specific to a Scottish kilt are called "Ghillie Brogues." A brogue shoe is a classic men's shoe which includes wingtips and spectators but the "Ghillie Brogue" is only worn with a kilt. 5) An optional kilt accessory is the sgian dubh (pronounced "SKEEN-dhu"), a small knife worn tucked into the top of the right sock, or hose, with only the hilt visible. The knife position descends from the ancient practice of revealing any hidden weapons (tucked into armpits or jackets and cloaks) when entering a home or dwelling as a peaceful guest. Knives were displayed in the hose to show that there were no hidden intentions. In Gaelic, sgian means "knife," while dubh means "black," or in this case, "hidden."

And of course, the most traditional accessory is the "sporran," or pouch worn in front of the kilt. These can be made of leather, hair on hide, fur, or any combination thereof...with or without tassels. Many include elaborate silver work featuring Celtic knots or designs. Sporrans, of course, come in handy since kilts have no pockets! When I wear my kilt, my wallet, keys, and cellphone go in my sporran.

BEAUTY: Painting--Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell

Scottish artist Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell (12 April 1883 – 6 December 1937) was one of the Scottish Colourists and a founding member of an exhibiting group of like-minded artists called the Society of Eight. He was profoundly influenced as a young man by French Impressionism and then later as an adult by Post-Impressionism. Although he painted portraits, landscapes (especially of his beloved Scottish isle of Iona), and still lives, he liked painting fashionable Edinburgh New Town house interiors and their elegant furnishings. He was gregarious, successful, admired, gay, and as the painter Stanley Cursiter observed, Cadell's “wit was constant and brilliant… sardonic, Rabelaisian and lightly bantering”.

But his reputation and sales faded throughout the 1920s. When he became accident prone, a tumor was discovered. He died in 1937 in near poverty, an un-cashed charity check among his personal effects. He was only 54.

Top to bottom: Interior - The Orange Blind; 30 Regent Terrace; Afternoon, 1913; Interior Of The Artist's House, Ainslie Place, Edinburgh; Interior; Interior With Opera Cloak; The Artist's Drawing Room; The White Sofa; The Gilt Chair

Some images from the official Cadell website:
http://www.francis-campbell-boileau-cadell.org/