Edinburgh Castle has a grim history as a site of numerous high-profile executions, particularly during the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the most famous figures executed on the Castle Hill (the esplanade) was Janet Douglas, Lady Glamis, who was burned at the stake in 1537 after being accused of witchcraft and plotting to poison King James V; her execution is noted for its cruelty, as her young son was forced to watch. Another significant execution was that of the Marquess of Argyll, Archibald Campbell, in 1661, who was beheaded by "The Maiden" (an early form of the guillotine) for high treason following the Restoration of the monarchy. The castle grounds were also the site of the "Black Dinner" in 1440, where the young Earl of Douglas and his brother were lured to a feast, presented with a black bull's head (a symbol of death), and summarily executed in the presence of the 10-year-old King James II. Thousands of others, particularly those accused of witchcraft or religious heresy, were executed on the slopes just outside the castle gates, making it one of the most haunted and blood-soaked landmarks in Scottish history.