Trial against Thomas Aitkenhead, student of divinity, for blasphemy

Thomas Aitkenhead was the last person in Scotland to be hanged for blasphemy.  He was a student who, when out drinking, had railed against the rhapsodies of traditional doctrines of theology and had called Moses a magician. The sudden change from pre-1689 Scotland to a more doctrinaire religious and legal system is evidenced in this case. This case was also used by Dilys Rose’s in her novel ‘Unspeakable’. It clearly shows that archival documents relating to the lives and people of Scotland give tremendous detail on societies and the experiences of individuals.  

Trial against Thomas Aitkenhead, student of divinity, for blasphemy, 1696

Credit: Crown copyright, NRS, JC2/19, page 295 (Link to the Online Catalogue entry)