Close to one of the most visited tourist spots in Edinburgh,
right next to crowds of people,
stands a wall.

On the wall sits a well,
made of grey copper,
a plastic plant pot,
geranium plants.

Among the plants,
in eyesight of the copper snake,
lies an apple,
mostly eaten.

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What is the Witches’ Well?

The Witches’ Well in Edinburgh, a late 19th-century now-dry copper drinking fountain, serves as a monument to the witches hunted down and killed in Edinburgh.

A copper plaque above the fountain reads:

“This fountain, designed by John Duncan, R.S.A. is near the site on which many witches were burned at the stake. The wicked head and serene head signify that some used their exceptional knowledge for evil purposes while others were misunderstood and wished their kind nothing but good. The serpent has the dual significance of evil and wisdom. The foxglove spray further emphasises the dual purpose of many common objects.”

There is not much information available at the site about the witches that were burnt there, or the reason why the well was installed two centuries later. The information available at the site can be seen below.

Despite the many people killed after being convicted of “witchcraft” in Edinburgh, the Witches’ Well remains the only known monument to them in the city. Between the 16th and 18th century, over 3000 people, mostly women, were hunted down, tortured and brutally killed in Scotland.

A map published by the university of Edinburgh shows the extend of these witch hunts: https://witches.is.ed.ac.uk/timeline/#close.

Further reading:

Calls for memorial to victims of Scotland’s witch trials / The Scotsman, 12th December 2017

Thar Be Witches, and Us / The New York Times, 25th October, 2019

Witchfinder General, data visualisation project / The University of Edinburgh, 2024