Lilias Adie

Woman, Neighbour, Widow

Lilias Adie was in her 60s when she was accused of witchcraft by her neighbour. Adie was interrogated and tortured for over a month until she 'confessed' to being a witch. 

Her confession was elaborate, whether this was intentional by Adie's own cunning or from delirium, after days of sleep deprivation and torture we do not know. Adie confessed to meeting with the devil, fornicating with the devil and renouncing her baptism, confessing to attending meetings of witches in the fields. When pressed about the identities of these women Adie refused to give up names, stating that she never saw their faces. when pushed further Adie only provided the names of Women who were known as witches, convicted of the crime and dead, saving the women in her community from further witch hunting. 

Adie died in prison shortly after her confession and before her investigation was concluded. This was rare and due to Adie's confession, she could not be buried with her community, one of her final wishes being to be returned to her community. Instead, Adie's body was buried along the tideline of Toryburn Beach, as far away as possible from her community and covered over with a large flat stone, a precaution relating to the superstitions of the time. 

Adie's body was not left in peace though, her grave was robbed in 1852, the robbers took her skull and pieces of her coffin as antiquities. Lilias's skull was lost but accurate measurements were taken and in 2017 researchers at Dundee University reconstructed her face. 

Adie is widely remembered as the only witch in Scotland with a grave and has a plaque commemorating her near her grave in Toryburn.