The King watches on as a group of women suspected of witchcraft are beaten in front of him
The year is 1590, and in Scotland an extraordinary event is taking place – the North Berwick Witch Trials. A group of at least 70 people, mostly women, stand accused of witchcraft.
Agnes Sampson is one of them. After enduring days of torture, she has confessed to conspiring with the devil against the King – James VI of Scotland (who will later also become James I of England). What makes this particular trial stand out is that the King is personally presiding over proceedings. Having been condemned, Sampson is lashed to a stake, where she is strangled and burned.