Agnes Sampson.

1580.

What remains of that little white church in Edinburgh?

The one that bore witness to,
the circlings' of,
spell-casting dancers.

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1580, Edinburgh.

Circling's of
Spell-casting dancers. 
Flagons of ruby and ritual.

Wise wives, widows.
All women in-between.
But one in particular. 

Agnes Sampson. A neighbour. A name.
On the lips of the lowly.
Lords and ladies too.

Known and needed for,
her healing hands.

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Flagons of wine, fathering and bound to.

Flagons of ruby.

The wise wives, daughters, sisters, mothers of. Widows.
Folk healers called upon when needed, trust of the community.
Neighbours. Name.
Summoning of her from far and wide.
Her name on the lips of ladies and lords.

Blamed in times of misfortune/ trouble.
Coven of.

Women in general:
Frivolous behaviours.
Wickedness of woman.
Devils recruitment of women. 
There is no wrath above the wrath of woman. 
Witchcraft stems from carnal lust. 

Illiterate and leaving no testament of their own.

Tokens of protection, on your person, on your pillow.
Emblems and symbols of witchcraft are ordinary things around the house, a broomstick, a cat, a cauldron, things typically traditionally used/ associated with women. 

Sea of nettles. 

Church:
Church leaders meet between flagons of ruby.
Stripped of catholic adornment.
Caught in the crossfire of religious upheaval. 
Disproving of women in positions of power/ authority.  
Threat to the newly formed church.
No place in the new protestant order for a woman like her.
Determined to catch a witch. 

Winter:
Our little ice age.
Whitening, deafening numbing of winter.
Numbing of winters worsening.
Famines and families 
Fathering fear, testing troubles. 

Home of the king. Imprisoned. Chamber of King James. 
Set her eyes on the sinister turrets.
Her footsteps.
Standing stiffly in the denial of her charge.
Hacking of her hair, a rope to the nape.
Immediate confessing whatever was demanded of her.
Naked and shaved. 

Signs of a witch
Following the blueprint,
Setting the tone for the next 100 years of witch hunting, uncovering a witch.
The devils blue-black mark upon her privities
A skin stain by birth
A freckle or mole, blemish, a scar anything anything.
Determined to catch.

Torture:
watching and waking - sleep deprivation.
The witch pricker - purchase of prines - iron pins - to prick the witch
Pricking for hours. Questioning ones own reality and truth. 
Tortured to the point of losing confidence in your own memory.
Breaking down of body and mind.

Confessed, tortured, trialled.
Taken to the stake.
Rope to the nape,
tied tight. Entangled.
Smored. Strangled. 

Confessed, tortured, trialled.
Taken to the stake.
Rope to the nape,
tied tight. Entangled.
Smored. Strangled. 

Other:
Little white witch.
The witches-well memorial.
Dark chapters of Scotlands past. 
Stories forgotten, buried beneath stereotypes.

Agnes Sampson.