She Spoke on the 13th of April
In 1662, a woman named Isobel Gowdie stood before her accusers and spoke.
She told them about covens and fairy queens. She described, in vivid detail, how she could transform herself into a hare. She recited spells by heart – including one that has echoed through centuries of poetry, music and art:
“I shall go into a hare, with sorrow and sych and meikle care.”
A memorial gathering for Isobel Gowdie, and what it means to remember
All the details here
We don’t know for certain what happened to Isobel after her confessions. But it is likely that she was executed as a witch.
She was a cottar’s wife from Auldearn, near Nairn. She was illiterate, and of low social status, but she remains the most extraordinary surviving voice from Scotland’s Witch Hunts. She was a gifted storyteller and spun a tale of covens, fairy folk, and transformation magic that historians are still trying to understand 360 years later.
Isobel’s voice has stirred my imagination for a long time now.
I came across her story when I was doing my initial research for the Pockets of Love project – my long-term memorial work, creating a hand embroidered pocket for every woman accused of witchcraft during the Scottish witch hunts. Each pocket is decorated with wildflowers from the place she lived. Each one carries her name.
Isobel’s Hare Spell inspired me to make a small paper memorial for her. A hand-drawn and coloured diorama/shrine inspired by her own words, her own spell, and the moment of transformation she described so precisely to the people who were about to take her life.
On Thursday 30th April – the 363rd anniversary of Isobel’s confessions – I am holding a small online gathering to remember her.
It is called Remember Her: Isobel Gowdie.
Before the session, I will send you the diorama/shrine to print at home. Then we will gather online and light a candle to honour Isobel and the thousands of women accused during the Scottish witch hunts. We will sit together and colour in and assemble the diorama/shrine together while I read from her own confessions, and write a name on the gravestone at the heart of the scene.
You don’t need any skills or prior knowledge.
You will need a printer, some colouring pens or pencils, and the desire to honour and commemorate Isobel Gowdie and all those accused of witchcraft.
The session will not be recorded. It is a moment in time, spent together honouring those generations of women who were lost to us during Scotland’s burning times.
It is also the evening I am launching the next stage of Pockets of Love — something I have been working toward for a long time. If the gathering moves you, and I hope it will, you will have the chance to find out how to get involved and support the project.
Thursday 30th, from 7 pm to 8:30 pm, £30. You can book here:
I hope to see you there,
Tara
