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A Witch Hunt In The Family

What happens to an ordinary family in a witch hunt? How could you fight to save your accused relatives? Susan Morrison finds out.

Susan Morrison gets to grips with the South Queensferry witch-hunt. We know about the horrors which people accused of witchcraft suffered but we very rarely get to see what happens to their families. How could you try to save your accused loved ones? Who did you have to take on and what could they do to you in return? Dr Ciaran Jones and Dr Louise Yeoman follow one family in the South Queensferry witch hunt of 1643-44 with Susan and look at how they took on the authorities and with what results. Moving forward in time to 1813 in Glasgow, we find another family - the Hastings who want to keep a wee ten year old boy they鈥檝e adopted called John Fee but then John鈥檚 dad turns up and he isn鈥檛 happy. Dr Katie Barclay of Adelaide University helps us look at child stealing and what counts as a good home for a child among the very poorest people in Scottish society.

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28 minutes

Last on

Sun 12 Jun 2022 07:00

Broadcast

  • Sun 12 Jun 2022 07:00

Podcast