Bessie Cowane

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Charge:	Witchcraft and Treason
Sentence:	Death and Executed
Years Imprisoned:
Year Crime:
Year Convicted:	1590
Year Cleared:	2004
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	United Kingdom
County or Region of Crime:	Scotland
City of Crime:	Prestonpans
Result:	Pardoned
Summary of Case:	"Bessie Cowane was wrongly convicted along with 55 other men and women from the Prestonpans, Scotland region of using witchcraft to cause storms in the Atlantic between Scotland and Denmark in 1589 that interfered with attempts by King James I and his proxy wife Anne to sail and meet with one another. Executed by being burned alive at the stack. The 56 people were also convicted of treason related to interfering with the attempted rendezvous. On July 27, 2004 Baron Gordon Prestoungrange absolutely pardoned 81 people in the Prestonpans, Scotland region who were convicted in the 16th and 17th century of witchcraft - including the 56 people who allegedly used witchcraft in 1589 to cause the storms. After issuing the pardons, Baron Prestoungrange sent a letter to Queen Elizabeth II requesting that she pardon the 56 people of the treason conviction that was predicated on the witchcraft conviction that the people were found by the Baron to have been innocent of committing. The Baron's pardoning authority didn't extend to treason against the Crown."
Conviction Caused By:	"False confession of being a witch coerced by physical torture. Also, prosecutorial misconduct by reliance on the general publics gullibility and fear of witches to allow a coerced confession to witchcraft unsubstantiated by any substantive evidence to suffice to support a witchcraft conviction."
Innocence Proved By:	"Absolute Pardon on July 27, 2004 by Baron Gordon Prestoungrange of the Prestonpans region of Scotland."
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Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
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Age When Released:
Sex:	Female
Skin/Ethnicity:	White
Information Source 1:	"Judgement and Declarator, Barons Courts of Prestoungrange & Dolphinstoun, Trinity Session: Elizabeth II. 53. 2004, July - November, July 27, 2004."
Information Location 1:	http://www.prestoungrange.org/core-files/archive/trinity_session/06_absolute_pardon_for_witches.pdf
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Bessie Cowane

Charge:

Witchcraft and Treason

Sentence:

Death and Executed

Years Imprisoned:

Year Crime:

Year Convicted:

1590

Year Cleared:

2004

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

United Kingdom

County or Region of Crime:

Scotland

City of Crime:

Prestonpans

Result:

Pardoned

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

"False confession of being a witch coerced by physical torture. Also, prosecutorial misconduct by reliance on the general publics gullibility and fear of witches to allow a coerced confession to witchcraft unsubstantiated by any substantive evidence to suffice to support a witchcraft conviction."

Innocence Proved By:

"Absolute Pardon on July 27, 2004 by Baron Gordon Prestoungrange of the Prestonpans region of Scotland."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

Age When Released:

Sex:

Female

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"Judgement and Declarator, Barons Courts of Prestoungrange & Dolphinstoun, Trinity Session: Elizabeth II. 53. 2004, July - November, July 27, 2004."

Information Location 1:

http://www.prestoungrange.org/core-files/archive/trinity_session/06_absolute_pardon_for_witches.pdf

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