Warts and all! Council orders landlord to remove witch mural after deeming it ‘historically inaccurate’ depicting women accused of collaborating with Satan in 18th century
- The village is known for killing the five Pittenweem witches
City council planners commissioned a British pub owner to remove a giant mural of a warty, hook-nosed witch because it was ‘historically inaccurate’.
Street artist Rogue One, aka Bobby McNamara, was commissioned last October to paint the hook-nosed witch on the side of Scotland’s Larachmhor Tavern.
The 19th century boozer is in Pittenweem, Fife where at least 26 people were tortured and 18 murdered in the village during the 18th century.
Many were accused of being witches and working with the devil – the fishing village is infamously known for killing the five Pittenweem witches.
The artwork in Fife was “based on historically inaccurate false stories,” council planners said.
Council planners ordered the Larachmhor Tavern in Scotland to remove a giant mural of a warty, hook-nosed witch because it was ‘historically inaccurate’
Bobby McNamara was commissioned last October to paint the hook-nosed witch on the side of the 18th-century pub
Bobby told The Sunday Times: ‘It has turned into a literal modern day witch hunt’,
“It just doesn’t sit well with the quaint town and some of the locals, and they’re throwing all possible arguments to get it removed. I get that, and I’m surprised it took so long.’
The huge woman with the wrinkled face is painted with thick midnight purple hair and represents a blood moon.
Her lips were painted jet black to match her long dirty brown nails and snail-like eyebrows.
Fife Councilor Jonny Tepp described the artwork as ‘garish’ and the colors were disappointing compared to other artwork in the village.
He said, ‘The [planning] Commission . . . asked for the mural to be carefully removed in the interests of protecting the structure of the building, as well as preserving the appearance of this popular historic village.”
Campaign group ‘Witches of Scotland’ is lobbying the Scottish government to pardon and apologize to the nearly 4,000 witches allegedly convicted under the Witchcraft Act 1563.
Group member Claire Mitchell said: ‘It wasn’t old women with the witch stereotypes we imagine’ who were affected by the ‘witch trials’ ‘It was ordinary women and men in Scotland living in a time that resulted in a terrible miscarriage of justice. ‘
The village was home to five Scottish women accused of witchcraft, with three accomplices in 1704 by 16-year-old Patrick Morton.
Several were tortured, murdered or died in prison, but neither Morton nor the mob that killed the women were convicted.