Witches
The Witches' Well
Castle Esplanade, Edinburgh
On the Castlehill, just below the castle gates, around 300 people accused of witchcraft are thought to have been strangled and burned between 1479 and 1722, more than anywhere else in Scotland. In 1894 a small bronze fountain, the Witches' Well, was put up in their memory.
Read the full story, see it on the map, get directions and find what else is nearby in the free Hidden Britain Atlas map.
- When
- 1479–1722
- Where
- 55.9488, -3.1975
- Group
- Witches & witch trials
Visiting
On the wall at the top of the Royal Mile, by the castle esplanade.
Nearby mysteries
- The Hanging of William BurkeExecution site · Lawnmarket, Edinburgh · under a mile away
- The Grassmarket GallowsExecution site · Grassmarket, Edinburgh · under a mile away
- Major Thomas WeirWitches · West Bow, Edinburgh · under a mile away
- Greyfriars KirkyardHaunted place · Old Town, Edinburgh · under a mile away
- The Heart of MidlothianExecution site · Royal Mile, Edinburgh · under a mile away
- Greyfriars BobbyMysterious grave · Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh · under a mile away