This new play from Martin McCormick was inspired by a monument near Dunning called ‘The Maggie Wall’, the site of a mysterious grave to a woman tried and executed in the 17th century for witchcraft. It’s a collection of stones about 20 feet high, bearing the words in white lettering – “Maggie Wall burnt here 1657 as a witch”.
The Maggie Wall explores the vulnerability of women and injustices suffered by them in a patriarchal and closed community and resonates with contemporary experiences, as well as reminding us of a chapter of Scottish and British history in which many people, predominately women, were accused, tried and killed as suspected witches.