The Last Scottish Witch

Helen Duncan (November 25, 1897-December 6, 1956) is in the news. Her 72 year old granddaughter Mary Martin, who lives near Edinburgh, is campaigning to have a pardon issued for her granny who was convicted in 1944 for "pretending to be a witch". England's last witchcraft law was not repealed until 1951 by the government under Prime Minister Winston Churchill (who had been ordained into the Grand Ancient Order of Druids). Martin vividly remembers being harrassed by classmates and labeled "witch-spawn" and "evil-eye". She hopes that a pardon will clear the family name. Mary says her grandmother committed no crime and that "in the modern world, it is ridiculous that this conviction stands". In contrast, a full pardon for the 20 people convicted of witchcraft and executed during the 1692 Salem Witch Trials was handed down in 2001. ~Helen Duncan was a well known Spiritualist medium during the 1930's and 194o's, conducting seances for those wishing to contact their departed loved ones. Churchill and King George VI were said to be her clients. Those who witnessed her seances reported that she was able to materialize ectoplasm from her mouth while in trance. In 1941, while conducting a seance for the concerned parents of a missing sailor, Helen revealed that their son had gone down with his ship, the HMS Barham... a fact that the war office did not reveal until several months later in an effort to keep morale high. On January 14, 1944, with war time tensions escalating and the D-day landing being planned by Allied Forces, police raided a seance and arrested Helen in her then hometown of Portsmouth. It was rumored that the war office did not want to run the risk of military manuevers being revealed by Duncan. She was brought to trial in London and sentenced to 9 months in Holloway Prison, being denied an appeal. She was released from prison on September 22, 1944. With the repeal of the 1735 Witchcraft Act in 1951 and the official recognition of Spiritualism as a religion by Parliament in 1954, Helen should have been free to practice her craft. Not so. In November of 1956, police again raided a private seance being conducted by Helen and searched her, a dangerous act for one under trance. She was later taken to the hospital with second degree burns across her stomach. Helen Duncan passed over 5 weeks later.~ A bronze bust of Helen Duncan, presented to the town of Callander where she was born, gives rise to controversy even today with those of strong religious views objecting to its public display. As a consequence the sculpture is currently on display at the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum. Here is a link to the official Helen Duncan website with information on the campaign for her pardon. http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/helenduncan/