Jane Weir or Jean Weir (died 1670), was a Scottish woman executed for witchcraft. She was the sister of Major Thomas Weir who was charged with incest and

witchcraft Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...

in 1670 and was subsequently executed. Weir was born near

Carluke Carluke (; ) is a town that lies in the heart of the Lanarkshire countryside in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, northwest of Lanark and southeast of Wishaw. Carluke is largely a commuter town, with a variety of small stores and supermarkets a ...

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...

. Her brother Thomas Weir was a strict

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

whose spoken prayers earned him a reputation that attracted visitors to his home in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. Following his retirement in 1670, Weir fell ill and began to confess to a secret life of crime and vice. The

Lord Provost A lord provost () is the convenor of the local authority, the civic head and the lord-lieutenant of one of the principal cities of Scotland. The office is similar to that of a lord mayor. Only the cities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Stirlin ...

initially found the confession implausible and took no action, but eventually Weir and his spinster sister, Jane Weir, were taken to the Edinburgh Tolbooth for interrogation. Major Weir, now in his seventies, continued to expand on his confession and Jane Weir gave an even more exaggerated history of witchcraft, sorcery and vice. The trial began on 9 April 1670. Jane Weir confessed that their mother had been a witch and had taught her children. She also revealed that Thomas bore the mark of the Beast on his body and that they frequently roamed the countryside in a fiery coach.

References

Executed Scottish women Scottish people executed for witchcraft 17th-century Scottish women 17th-century executions by Scotland 1670 deaths {{UK-reli-bio-stub