Thomas Aikenhead

Thomas Aikenhead
Baptised28 March 1676
Died (aged 20)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
NationalityScottish
EducationUniversity of Edinburgh
OccupationStudent
Known forLast person in Great Britain to be executed for blasphemy

Thomas Aikenhead (bapt. 28 March 1676 – 8 January 1697)[1][2] was a Scottish student from Edinburgh, who was prosecuted and executed at the age of 20, on a charge of blasphemy under the Act against Blasphemy 1661 and Act against Blasphemy 1695. He was the last person in Great Britain to be executed for blasphemy. His execution occurred 85 years after the death of Edward Wightman (1612), the last person to be burned at the stake for heresy in England.

  1. ^ Hill, Andrew (26 September 2000). "Thomas Aikenhead". Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography. Unitarian Universalist Association. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).