LESS than a mile outside the Perthshire village of Dunning stands a memorial to Maggie Wall, a woman who, the inscription on the stone monument claims, was “burnt as a witch” on the site in 1657. At least six women are believed to have been executed as witches near Dunning at this time, but none of them are recorded as having the name Maggie Wall.
An enduring Scottish myth, the execution of Maggie Wall is the subject of a new play by actor- turned-playwright Martin McCormick. Titled simply The Maggie Wall (after the memorial’s nickname), the piece will premiere next month at the new studio at Pitlochry Festival Theatre (PFT).
