The Roles And Contributions Of Jane And Thomas Weir

Witchcraft lasted for hundreds of years, mainly from the 1500s to the 1800s.Throughout multiple centuries, Scottish courts tried to prosecute numerous amounts of men and women for witchcraft, including magic stemming from anger and worshipping the devil. Men and women were both guilty of witchcraft and witch-hunting, particularly from the 1640s-1670s. In that time period, community members became determined to prosecute and execute witches and people in the wrong. Witch-hunting and trials became substantially popular within the Scotland society as a result of the increase of suspicious men and women. Women tend to be more vulnerable towards the Devil and men tend to become the “Devil”. This is the case when it comes to Jane and Thomas Weir. There are several components when it comes to how Jane and Thomas Weir are convicted for their crimes, how they repented, the difference between the two genders and the influence of religion. The methodologies used throughout this paper will be …show more content…
He is the person majorly responsible for the occurrence of the trial in 1670. Thomas Weir or Major Weir was accused of various crimes such as incest, adultery, fornication, and bestialities. He was a married man who committed all of the atrocious crimes and got convicted of his crimes, spent a small amount of time in jail and then went to trial. Major Weir was a radical religious member within his community. Thomas supposedly had made a deal or multiple deals with the Devil so that he could have supernatural powers. Thomas was not ashamed of his crimes since he pleaded guilty for his actions. He had slept or laid with his deceased wife’s daughter, his sister, his servant, and animals. Major Weir’s crimes had gone above and beyond for his guilt, he had confessed to all of his crimes, but he did not feel any remorse for the committed crimes. His performance of incest occurred with his sister Jane, thus adding her into the trial in April