Ashes and Stones

A beautifully written journey through Scotland -- its history and its landscape -- in search of the seventeenth-century women murdered during the brutal witch hunts of the time

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'Beautiful... A moving reminder for us all to connect with what's gone before' STYLIST

'Atmospheric, scholarly - and gripping . . . Shocking and important' Laline Paull, author of Pod

Roaming the ragged coasts and remote villages of Scotland, Ashes & Stones takes us on a moving journey in search of those women accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century. From fairy hills to hedge mazes, we follow the traces their stories have left on the landscape.

By linking the lives of contemporary women to the horrors of the past, Allyson Shaw creates a powerful record of resilience and remembrance, untangling the myth of witchcraft and giving voice to those erased by it.

'Allyson Shaw has built a monument in words to the thousands persecuted as witches in Scotland. A fascinating and necessary book' Peter Ross, author of A Tomb With a View

'Deeply insightful and profoundly respectful . . . I was spellbound from start to finish' Sally Huband, author of Sea Bean