The Last Witch of Montrose—The perfect Halloween Tale…

Have you heard of the last accused witch of Angus? We hadn’t.

During our deep dive into internet, scrolling to find the upcoming October holiday activities and Halloween events, we stumbled on a real-life witch tale.

Montrose is a town full of history, and mystery. Documentations remind us of the Montrose Castle, and tell us how David I gave it town charter status. We can follow the stories of the Lord of Dun and the actions Marquis of Montrose who once ruled.

What history seems to fail to mention, is the role the accused witches had in the development of our town, our basin and our landscape today.

This is the tale of Meggie Cowie – the real accused witch of Angus.

Our coastal town of Montrose is surrounded by water from sea, basin and river.

It’s said a Viking attack, is responsible for the way Montrose was formed, with town folk being forced to settle alongside the water in one line.

During the 1600’s, a proposal was created relating to the basin. It was suggested that by half-draining it, the land revealed could be used for farming. The basin was, at the time, owned by the Dun Estate.

A partnership was formed, and the town began work towards the end of 1670 creating a dyke to form a solid barrier. And whilst the extra farming room would bring great benefits to the town, not everyone was impressed.

Local fishermen protested this work would affect their fishing grounds and one elderly lady Meggie Cowie was very vocal about her dislike of the men changing the landscape.

During the construction of the dyke, a large storm suddenly struck the area and destroyed a lot of the work which had been done.

Rumours began to circulate quickly. The town folk remembered that King James VI had blamed witches for the awful storms which nearly destroyed his fleet some 80 years earlier. And as suspicion began to grow, so did the attention on old Meggie.

Everyone in the town knew Meggie had been unhappy with the work and they were quick to look at her as a suspect. A witness then came forward, stating they had seen Meggie, standing at the dyke muttering words that were not English. This evidence was enough to convince the town she was behind the storm and Meggie was put on trial for witchcraft.

It seems there are no records about the outcome of the first trial, but in a small town, the rumour mill is enough. Despite no official conclusion, it seemed the town had made up its mind. Meggie was a witch.

Over the following years, this elderly lady seemed to be blamed for various accidents and wrongdoings. Eventually in the 1870’s Meggie stands trial again; the court finds her guilty of witchcraft and her fate is sealed. She is burned at the stake for her crimes.

The remains of that first dyke, can sometimes still be seen at low tide. A physical reminder of Meggie, the woman wrongly punished and labelled a witch.

Why we should share this History

Even though this tale is a tragedy, it is important we acknowledge the goings out which shaped our town and our local area. The history of our little town cannot be changed, but it can always be remembered.

And maybe this Halloween when you see all the little ‘witches’ dressed up with broom in hand, you can spare a thought for Meggie and the others. The local women that came before us, branded, bullied and burned for having an opinion or odd habits.