EDEXCEL A-LEVEL HISTORY
Paper 3 | The Witch Craze Complete Section B Essay Plans
All 5 Case Studies • All Spec Points • 15 High-Level Model Plans
📖 HOW TO USE THESE PLANS
Each plan follows the exact rigorous analytical framework required for top marks:
• INTRODUCTION (BATH CAT WO): Context, Criteria Check, explicit Argument, and factoring.
• INTERNAL PARAGRAPHS (PEJEJEJS): Point (Because...), detailed Evidence, and evaluative Judgement (So
What?).
• SUMMARY (OW U BIT): Overall weighting, counterbalance, and criteria justification.
• CONCLUSION (BIATCHH): Direct judgment, limitation analysis, and cross-examination of factors.
💡 CRITERIA TO USE: immediate impact / transformative / long-lasting / widespread / decisive / fundamental vs.
superficial
CASE STUDY 1: BERWICK WITCHES, SCOTLAND 1590–91 (and aftermath to
1597)
QUESTION 1A: Why did the persecutions begin?
Why did the persecutions begin in Scotland in 1590?
INTRODUCTION (BATH CAT WO)
🗓 BETWEEN THE YEARS: 1590 and 1591, with persecution extending to 1597,
Answer: The persecutions began due to a combination of Gilly Duncan's foundational confession, James VI's
personal obsession following his Danish voyage, and the influence of Danish/Continental witch-hunting
models.
📌 CONTEXT: Scotland in 1590 was undergoing intense religious reform under Presbyterianism; belief in
diabolism was widespread among elites and commoners alike, creating fertile ground for accusations.
⚖️ CRITERIA CHECK: For the persecutions to be considered significant, they must be shown to be
immediate in impact, widespread in scope, and transformative in reshaping how Scotland prosecuted
witchcraft.
🎯 ARGUMENT: The extent to which Gilly Duncan's confession was the decisive catalyst is significant
because it acted as the foundational trigger — yet James VI's personal role was arguably more
transformative in widening and sustaining the persecution.
1
, ↔ WHILST: Gilly Duncan's confession was vital as the immediate trigger, providing the initial momentum
without which no subsequent persecution could have occurred.
➕ OTHER FACTORS: James VI's voyage to Denmark and the influence of Continental (especially Danish)
demonology were integral long-term shaping forces that exacerbated the scale beyond what a single
confession could have produced alone.
INTERNAL PARAGRAPHS (PEJEJEJS)
2
,PARAGRAPH 1: Gilly Duncan's Confession — The Immediate Catalyst
🔵 POINT (Because...): Gilly Duncan's confession acted as the decisive short-term catalyst
because it directly opened the investigation that would spiral into the North Berwick witch trials.
📚 EVIDENCE 1: Gilly Duncan, a servant in Tranent, began exhibiting unusual behaviour (healing
powers, nocturnal absences). Under torture by her master David Seaton in late 1590, she confessed to
witchcraft and named accomplices including Agnes Sampson, John Fian, and Barbara Napier.
⚡ JUDGEMENT (So What?): This suggests Duncan's confession laid the foundation for the entire
North Berwick investigation — without this initial accusation, no chain of prosecutions would have
followed. It was a fundamental turning point in that it transformed isolated suspicion into state-level
prosecution. However, by itself, it was narrow in scope; the true scale depended on James VI's
intervention.
📚 EVIDENCE 2: Duncan's confession led directly to the arrest of Agnes Sampson (a respected
midwife/healer) and John Fian (a schoolmaster), demonstrating how one testimony could bridge social
classes, pulling in both marginalised and respectable figures.
⚡ JUDGEMENT (So What?): This wider implication demonstrates that the confession set a precedent
for the methods of accusation — extracted under torture — which reinforced the idea that witchcraft
networks were extensive and hierarchical. The de facto effect was to legitimise torture as an
investigative tool.
📚 EVIDENCE 3: Under torture, Duncan reportedly named over seventy individuals who had gathered
at North Berwick Kirk to plot against King James VI.
⚡ JUDGEMENT (So What?): This reinforces the view that the confession was exacerbated by torture
into producing wholesale accusations — suggesting the origins were as much procedural as genuinely
criminal. It was transformative in shifting Scottish witch-hunting from isolated cases to organised
conspiracy theory.
✅ SUMMARY (OW U BIT): Overall, Duncan's confession was the integral initial cause; whilst its
immediate impact was substantial, its long-term significance was ultimately overshadowed by
James VI's role.
• Overall: Gilly Duncan's confession was the vital short-term trigger of the North Berwick persecutions.
• Whilst: It was significant in providing the initial names and framework of accusation,
• Ultimately: ultimately less decisive than the role of James VI,
• Because: because without royal patronage and obsession, the persecution would likely have remained localised
and brief.
• Overshadowed: James VI's personal intervention both widened the net and gave the persecution
unprecedented legitimacy.
• Therefore: Therefore, suggesting Duncan's confession played a foundational but not independently sufficient
role.
3
, PARAGRAPH 2: James VI's Voyage from Denmark — Transformative Long-Term Cause
🔵 POINT (Because...): James VI's voyage from Denmark in 1589–90 and his exposure to Danish
witch-hunting models was transformative because it converted the king into a personally
motivated witch-hunter, fundamentally altering the scale and character of persecution in
Scotland.
📚 EVIDENCE 1: James travelled to Denmark in 1589 to collect his new bride, Anne of Denmark.
Denmark was experiencing intense witch trials at the time, including the Kronborg cases. James
attended examinations of accused witches and became deeply interested in demonology.
⚡ JUDGEMENT (So What?): This suggests James's Danish experience acted as a catalyst — it was
not the origin of Scottish witch belief, but it transformed a king who had previously shown marginal
interest in witchcraft into one who saw it as a personal and political threat. This is a wider implication:
by making the issue royal, it became a matter of national concern.
📚 EVIDENCE 2: On James's return journey, storms were blamed on witchcraft orchestrated by
enemies of the king, including the Earl of Bothwell. This linked witchcraft directly to political conspiracy,
making prosecution a matter of royal survival rather than mere superstition.
⚡ JUDGEMENT (So What?): This reinforces the view that James's intervention was decisive — it
transformed the political context of witch-hunting. The accusation that witches had plotted regicide
meant Scotland's persecution was now de facto politically driven, setting a precedent for combining
witchcraft prosecution with political rivalry.
📚 EVIDENCE 3: James personally attended and participated in the interrogation of Agnes Sampson
at Holyrood Palace in 1590–91. Sampson reportedly whispered words to James that only he and Anne
had spoken privately on their wedding night, convincing him absolutely of her guilt.
⚡ JUDGEMENT (So What?): This demonstrates that James's personal conviction acted as an
unprecedented legitimising force — it was not merely symbolic. As king, his belief made prosecution
not just permissible but mandatory, laying the foundation for the widespread trials that followed.
✅ SUMMARY (OW U BIT): Overall, James's voyage was more fundamentally transformative than
Duncan's confession alone, because it gave the persecution royal momentum and an anti-
conspiracy framework.
• Overall: James VI's Danish voyage was the most significant long-term cause of the persecutions beginning.
• Whilst: It was significant in politicising and royally legitimising the witch-hunt,
• Ultimately: ultimately more important than Gilly Duncan's confession,
• Because: because it transformed a local servant's accusation into a matter of royal and national security.
• Overshadowed: The scale, methods (torture, chained confessions), and duration all depended on James's
sustained involvement.
• Therefore: Therefore, suggesting James played a decisive and transformative role that set a precedent for
politically motivated prosecution.
4
Paper 3 | The Witch Craze Complete Section B Essay Plans
All 5 Case Studies • All Spec Points • 15 High-Level Model Plans
📖 HOW TO USE THESE PLANS
Each plan follows the exact rigorous analytical framework required for top marks:
• INTRODUCTION (BATH CAT WO): Context, Criteria Check, explicit Argument, and factoring.
• INTERNAL PARAGRAPHS (PEJEJEJS): Point (Because...), detailed Evidence, and evaluative Judgement (So
What?).
• SUMMARY (OW U BIT): Overall weighting, counterbalance, and criteria justification.
• CONCLUSION (BIATCHH): Direct judgment, limitation analysis, and cross-examination of factors.
💡 CRITERIA TO USE: immediate impact / transformative / long-lasting / widespread / decisive / fundamental vs.
superficial
CASE STUDY 1: BERWICK WITCHES, SCOTLAND 1590–91 (and aftermath to
1597)
QUESTION 1A: Why did the persecutions begin?
Why did the persecutions begin in Scotland in 1590?
INTRODUCTION (BATH CAT WO)
🗓 BETWEEN THE YEARS: 1590 and 1591, with persecution extending to 1597,
Answer: The persecutions began due to a combination of Gilly Duncan's foundational confession, James VI's
personal obsession following his Danish voyage, and the influence of Danish/Continental witch-hunting
models.
📌 CONTEXT: Scotland in 1590 was undergoing intense religious reform under Presbyterianism; belief in
diabolism was widespread among elites and commoners alike, creating fertile ground for accusations.
⚖️ CRITERIA CHECK: For the persecutions to be considered significant, they must be shown to be
immediate in impact, widespread in scope, and transformative in reshaping how Scotland prosecuted
witchcraft.
🎯 ARGUMENT: The extent to which Gilly Duncan's confession was the decisive catalyst is significant
because it acted as the foundational trigger — yet James VI's personal role was arguably more
transformative in widening and sustaining the persecution.
1
, ↔ WHILST: Gilly Duncan's confession was vital as the immediate trigger, providing the initial momentum
without which no subsequent persecution could have occurred.
➕ OTHER FACTORS: James VI's voyage to Denmark and the influence of Continental (especially Danish)
demonology were integral long-term shaping forces that exacerbated the scale beyond what a single
confession could have produced alone.
INTERNAL PARAGRAPHS (PEJEJEJS)
2
,PARAGRAPH 1: Gilly Duncan's Confession — The Immediate Catalyst
🔵 POINT (Because...): Gilly Duncan's confession acted as the decisive short-term catalyst
because it directly opened the investigation that would spiral into the North Berwick witch trials.
📚 EVIDENCE 1: Gilly Duncan, a servant in Tranent, began exhibiting unusual behaviour (healing
powers, nocturnal absences). Under torture by her master David Seaton in late 1590, she confessed to
witchcraft and named accomplices including Agnes Sampson, John Fian, and Barbara Napier.
⚡ JUDGEMENT (So What?): This suggests Duncan's confession laid the foundation for the entire
North Berwick investigation — without this initial accusation, no chain of prosecutions would have
followed. It was a fundamental turning point in that it transformed isolated suspicion into state-level
prosecution. However, by itself, it was narrow in scope; the true scale depended on James VI's
intervention.
📚 EVIDENCE 2: Duncan's confession led directly to the arrest of Agnes Sampson (a respected
midwife/healer) and John Fian (a schoolmaster), demonstrating how one testimony could bridge social
classes, pulling in both marginalised and respectable figures.
⚡ JUDGEMENT (So What?): This wider implication demonstrates that the confession set a precedent
for the methods of accusation — extracted under torture — which reinforced the idea that witchcraft
networks were extensive and hierarchical. The de facto effect was to legitimise torture as an
investigative tool.
📚 EVIDENCE 3: Under torture, Duncan reportedly named over seventy individuals who had gathered
at North Berwick Kirk to plot against King James VI.
⚡ JUDGEMENT (So What?): This reinforces the view that the confession was exacerbated by torture
into producing wholesale accusations — suggesting the origins were as much procedural as genuinely
criminal. It was transformative in shifting Scottish witch-hunting from isolated cases to organised
conspiracy theory.
✅ SUMMARY (OW U BIT): Overall, Duncan's confession was the integral initial cause; whilst its
immediate impact was substantial, its long-term significance was ultimately overshadowed by
James VI's role.
• Overall: Gilly Duncan's confession was the vital short-term trigger of the North Berwick persecutions.
• Whilst: It was significant in providing the initial names and framework of accusation,
• Ultimately: ultimately less decisive than the role of James VI,
• Because: because without royal patronage and obsession, the persecution would likely have remained localised
and brief.
• Overshadowed: James VI's personal intervention both widened the net and gave the persecution
unprecedented legitimacy.
• Therefore: Therefore, suggesting Duncan's confession played a foundational but not independently sufficient
role.
3
, PARAGRAPH 2: James VI's Voyage from Denmark — Transformative Long-Term Cause
🔵 POINT (Because...): James VI's voyage from Denmark in 1589–90 and his exposure to Danish
witch-hunting models was transformative because it converted the king into a personally
motivated witch-hunter, fundamentally altering the scale and character of persecution in
Scotland.
📚 EVIDENCE 1: James travelled to Denmark in 1589 to collect his new bride, Anne of Denmark.
Denmark was experiencing intense witch trials at the time, including the Kronborg cases. James
attended examinations of accused witches and became deeply interested in demonology.
⚡ JUDGEMENT (So What?): This suggests James's Danish experience acted as a catalyst — it was
not the origin of Scottish witch belief, but it transformed a king who had previously shown marginal
interest in witchcraft into one who saw it as a personal and political threat. This is a wider implication:
by making the issue royal, it became a matter of national concern.
📚 EVIDENCE 2: On James's return journey, storms were blamed on witchcraft orchestrated by
enemies of the king, including the Earl of Bothwell. This linked witchcraft directly to political conspiracy,
making prosecution a matter of royal survival rather than mere superstition.
⚡ JUDGEMENT (So What?): This reinforces the view that James's intervention was decisive — it
transformed the political context of witch-hunting. The accusation that witches had plotted regicide
meant Scotland's persecution was now de facto politically driven, setting a precedent for combining
witchcraft prosecution with political rivalry.
📚 EVIDENCE 3: James personally attended and participated in the interrogation of Agnes Sampson
at Holyrood Palace in 1590–91. Sampson reportedly whispered words to James that only he and Anne
had spoken privately on their wedding night, convincing him absolutely of her guilt.
⚡ JUDGEMENT (So What?): This demonstrates that James's personal conviction acted as an
unprecedented legitimising force — it was not merely symbolic. As king, his belief made prosecution
not just permissible but mandatory, laying the foundation for the widespread trials that followed.
✅ SUMMARY (OW U BIT): Overall, James's voyage was more fundamentally transformative than
Duncan's confession alone, because it gave the persecution royal momentum and an anti-
conspiracy framework.
• Overall: James VI's Danish voyage was the most significant long-term cause of the persecutions beginning.
• Whilst: It was significant in politicising and royally legitimising the witch-hunt,
• Ultimately: ultimately more important than Gilly Duncan's confession,
• Because: because it transformed a local servant's accusation into a matter of royal and national security.
• Overshadowed: The scale, methods (torture, chained confessions), and duration all depended on James's
sustained involvement.
• Therefore: Therefore, suggesting James played a decisive and transformative role that set a precedent for
politically motivated prosecution.
4
