Beggars, Thieves and Whores - Talk on Sunday 22 February at Melrose

She has told us about witches and the Black Death in the Borders. 

Now she’s talking about beggars, thieves and whores. 

Mary Craig’s style is very lively and entertaining and Mary is going to talk about the lives and deaths of these, the ultimate medieval outsiders in the rural Scottish Borders of the 13th and 14th century. 

How did they survive in a highly class-structured and religious society ? 

What happened to them when living conditions worsened ? 

That talk is this Sunday, 22 February at the Corn Exchange and Ormiston Institute, Market Square, Melrose, TD6 9PN. Map.

I’m expecting this to be a very interesting talk and very popular; so come early to get a good seat. I warmly invite you to attend the talk whether you are a member or not. 

Doors open at 2pm; the talk begins at 2.30pm. 

We'll have a range of family history publications available to buy, and there’ll be light refreshments (donation expected) available after the talk. 

If you have a problem with your family history, please discuss it with one of our volunteers.

Speakers at meetings occasionally need to be changed at the last minute, due to circumstances beyond our control.

More about Witches

Our first talk of the current season was given by Mary Craig talking about the witch trials of the Scottish Borders.

A bit later I discovered that there was a Survey of Scottish Witchcraft and having downloaded the database that 42% were from Berwickshire, 31% from Peeblesshire, 20% from Roxburghshire, but only 7% from Selkirkshire.

There's a recent video Scottish Witchhunts from the National Library of Scotland in which Nicola Stratton talks about some of the many recent publications on witchcraft including modern reprints of Malleus Maleficarum which she likens to a Dummies Guide to Witchhunting and James VI's Daemonologie.

She makes some interesting insights and points out that to understand the witchhunts, we need to know about the social history of the period and the legal procedures by which witches could be prosecuted.

Survey of Scottish Witchcraft

Following up on the talk about the witch trials of the Borders by Mary Craig, I’ve learned that the University of Edinburgh have a Survey of Scottish Witchcraft database that can be searched for all persons known to be connected to witchcraft between 1563 and 1736, not just those convicted or tried, but also for witnesses and prosecutors. The information is taken from an impressive list of both civil and church records, but is probably not exhaustive.

The database is searchable both by name and place. It doesn’t mention my grandmother's ancestor, the White Witch of Inverness, but if granny was right, she was born about 1790 and thus won’t be in the survey. For those with Microsoft Access on their computers, the database and the accompanying database structure description can be downloaded for further study.

For example, I’ve found that there were almost 300 people resident in the Borders accused of witchcraft of whom 80% were female. 42% were from Berwickshire, 31% from Peeblesshire, 20% from Roxburghshire, and the rest (7%) from Selkirkshire.

The Witch Trials of the Borders - a talk by Mary Craig

Our first talk of the 2011/2012 season is on Sunday 25 September at 2.30pm at the Corn Exchange, Market Square, Melrose, TD6 9PN. Map.

Mary Craig is the author of Border Burnings and she will be telling us about the witch trials of the Borders.
Her talk will outline the trial, torture and execution of hundreds of innocent people, (mainly women) in the Scottish Borders during the 17th Century at hands of the Church of Scotland and the local judiciary. Between 1600 and 1700, more witches were accused, tried and executed in the Scottish Borders than any other area of Scotland except Edinburgh and the Lothians.
The doors will be open at 2pm, with the talk starting at 2.30pm.
We warmly invite you to attend the talk whether you are a member or not.
There is no admission charge.
We'll have a range of family history publications available to buy.
If you have a problem with your family history, please discuss it (no charge) with one of our volunteers.

Speakers at Society meetings occasionally need to be changed at the last minute, due to circumstances beyond our control. Where possible, updates will be made on our What's On page.

Film Programme at Berwick Record Office Exhibition - Past, Present and Future at Berwick Guildhall, Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th September

My blog on 8 September mentioned the Berwick Record Office Exhibition.

The film programme has just been announced.

Saturday 24 September
11am Canney View of Berwick and the Investigator (1970s)

1pm Miscellaneous: - Queen Mother's Visit to Berwick, 1970s; Goswick Rail Crash, 1947; Mayor's Sunday, 1947 ; Snapshots of Berwick, 1929; Berwick Horse Procession and Fair, 1911

3pm Fred Stott's Berwick in the 1950s

Sunday 25th September 
11.30am Canney View of Berwick and the Investigator (1970s)

12.45 Miscellaneous - Queen Mother's Visit to Berwick, 1970s; Goswick Rail Crash, 1947; Mayor's Sunday, 1947 ; Snapshots of Berwick, 1929; Berwick Horse Procession and Fair, 1911

3pm Fred Stott’s Berwick in the 1950s


Films in the cells as part of the Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival
La Tristesse Riche  by Erwin Olaf
Netherlands | 2010 | 11min HD Video UK Premiere

In what appears to be a beautiful 19th century costume drama, the world of Sophie is invaded by intruders who are invisible to the rest of her family. Is poor Sophie mad, or simply a visionary?

Rammatik - by Marianna Mørkøre & Rannvá Káradóttir Mare
UK | 2011 | 6min | Super-8 transferred to Digital Video World Premiere

Commissioned by Northumberland County Council in partnership with the Festival, and featuring members of the Maltings' Youth Drama and Dance Company, Mare was filmed on the Berwick coastline, while the title refers to the ‘sea' and the folkloric meaning of the spirit in nightmares.

Unravel: The Longest Hand- painted Film in Britain (Berwick excerpt) UK | 2011 | 14min 16mm transferred to Digital Video by Maria Anastassiou, Kelvin Brown, Joanna Byrne, Chris Paul Daniels & Mark Pickles World Premiere

This time last year, over 100 people in Berwick participated in the first of many workshops all over the country to create the longest hand-painted film in Britain. This year, the Festival is proud to be premiering the resulting film.

Solar Sight : by Lawrence Jordan   UK Premiere
USA | 2011 | 15min | Video transfer from 16mm film

A dreamlike collaged landscape of free association, transformation and mythical symbolism. This latest work by the influential US avant- garde animator, Jordan, is a poetic reflection on the place of the human being in the cosmos. Courtesy of Lawrence Jordan & LUX, London.


The Golden Age  : by Toby Tatum
UK | 2010 | 6min | Digital Video

A return to the fabled Golden Age of antiquity where the inhabitants of a secluded utopia dedicate themselves to relaxation and artistic pursuits. Featuring British Sea Power's Abi Fry, who also composed the film's original score.

All the films will be shown on a loop.

Please do come along and support this event – it's free!

We hope to see some of you on the stand on the Saturday, but not on the Sunday !

Why ?

On the Sunday afternoon we hope to see you at the first of our new season of talks - Mary Craig will be talking about the witchcraft trials of the Borders.
This talk will be at the Corn Exchange, Market Square, Melrose, TD6 9PN and starts at 2.30 pm.

Berwick Record Office Exhibition - Past, Present and Future at Berwick Guildhall, Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th September

To complete its celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the Record Office, the Record Office and the Friends are organising an exhibition weekend in the Guildhall on Saturday and Sunday 24th and 25th September – Berwick Record Office, Past, Present and Future.

As well as the exhibitions, they will be showing some of their archive films in the Council Chamber whilst the Film and Media Festival will be showing some of their films in the Old Gaol upstairs.

The Guildhall is in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, England, TD15 1BN. Map.

We hope to see some of you on the stand on the Saturday, but not on the Sunday !

Why ?

On the Sunday afternoon we hope to see you at the first of our new season of talks - Mary Craig will be talking about the witchcraft trials of the Borders.

That talk will be at the Corn Exchange, Market Square, Melrose, TD6 9PN and starts at 2.30 pm.