About Janet McNicol
Janet McNicol was a writer.
alt=Map showing location of Isle of Bute off west coast of Scottish mainland. Janet McNicol was one of the Bute Witches, who was arrested in 1662 accused of witchcraft. She was imprisoned in the tolbooth, Rothesay on the Isle of Bute off the west coast of Scotland.
Escape from prison and Bute McNicol managed to escape from the tolbooth in 1662 and evaded trial and execution. She absconded to Kilmarnock and returned to Bute in 1673 where she was consequently re-arrested, imprisoned and tried.
The trial McNicol’s trial started on 15 October 1673, and she confessed that the Devil had appeared to her as a leper and that she knew them to be an evil spirit. She admitted that she had encountered two men,
“one was a gross copperfaced man whom she knew was an evil spirit, the other was a well favoured young man”
During her trial, no torture was recorded.
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Important facts
Related people
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Janet McNicol?
accused of witchcraft
When did Janet McNicol die?
Janet McNicol died on 24 October 1673 in Rothesay.
What was Janet McNicol's occupation?
Janet McNicol was a writer.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Janet McNicol. https://biography.guide/janet-mcnicol/
MLA: "Janet McNicol." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/janet-mcnicol/.
Chicago: "Janet McNicol." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/janet-mcnicol/.
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