BBC: Town pardons executed "witches"
Dozens of "witches" executed in a Scottish town more than 400 years ago are to be pardoned to mark Halloween. Prestonpans, in East Lothian, will grant the pardons under ancient feudal powers which are about to disappear. Descendants and namesakes of the 81 people executed are expected to attend Sunday's ceremony. More than 3,500 Scots, mainly women, were executed during the Reformation, for crimes such as owning a black cat and brewing up home-made remedies.
Or, to put it another way, innocent people tried, sentenced and executed on trumped-up charges are to be forgiven by the descendents of their persecutors.
Has anyone else noticed it's the 21st Century?
(Mind you, I'm all for executing cat-owners.)
