Spring Road Trip Drive To Torryburn And Newmills Fife Scotland

Tour Scotland Spring travel video of a road trip drive, with Scottish bagpipes and drums music, on visit to the villages of Torryburn and Newmills in Fife on the North Shore of the Firth of Forth. Lilias Adie, born 1640, died 1704, was a Scottish woman who lived in the coastal village of Torryburn. She was accused of practising witchcraft and fornicating with the devil but died in prison before sentence could be passed. Her grave is the only known one in Scotland of an accused witch, most were burned. Lilias Adie's first name also appears as Lilly, and her last name was also recorded as Addie and Eddie. Illness among local residents created a brief but intense period of witch hunting in the Fife area. A woman named Jean Bizet had accused Adie of witchcraft, proclaiming " beware lest Lilias Adie come upon you and your child. " This resulted in the arrest of Adie, who was likely upwards of 60 at the time. Adie was taken to the local minister, Reverend Allan Logan, to answer to the crime of witchcraft. For over a month she was imprisoned and subjected to day after day of rough interrogation before she finally confessed. No commission for a witchcraft trial was ever issued and no trial was held. Lilias Adie died before her investigation was concluded. The ordeal she endured proved too much after over a month of prolonged torturous interrogations, involving sleep deprivation.

Newmills village is situated on the Firth of Forth between the Bluther Burn and Torryburn. It looks out over Torry Bay and takes its name from an important mill that once stood on the burn here. Operated by monks in mediaeval times, the mill dominated the local grain trade. On its main street are the 19th Century castellated gateway, flanking arches and Gothic lodge that were once the impressive entrance to the former Torrie Estate.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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