In 1560, Parliament set 1st punishments for the “filthie vice o fornication”:
Strike 1: £50 fine + 8 days prison + 2hrs pillory
Strike 2: £66 fine + 2hr pillory + head-shaving
Strike 3: £100 + “thrice ducking in the foulest pool in the parish” + banishment
From 1573 to 1712, celebrating Christmas was either illegal or illicit in Scotland. Many businesses didn’t close on 25th Dec until 1958 when it became a public holiday.
In 1650, Bessie Sands of Limekilns was tried for “superstitious absenting from work on Yule”
Between 1573-1712 the Church of Scotland made it illicit by an act at the General Assembly. Between 1640-1661 and 1690-1712, the ban was made a legal one by the Scottish Parliament.
Barclay, Jean (2018) The Kirk that Stole Christmas. Dunfermline Historical Society. https://dunfermlinehistsoc.org.uk/the-kirk-that-stole-christmas/