Witchcraft and Trials for Witchcraft in Fife

John Ewart Simpkins

• Publisher: Beston Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781528762816
• Topic: Théologie et religion
• Subtopic: Fondamentalisme religieux et cultes

This insightful volume details the horrifying witchcraft trials that were conducted in Fife, Scotland, through the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries.

Fife was the worst affected region of Scotland during the country's witch trials between the 1500s and 1700s. The volume is a fantastic insight into the horror of these trials in which an estimated 380 people were accused of practising sorcery. Most of these were women who were then subjected to torture and execution.

Uncover the dark history of this ancient county and learn about the appalling history of witchcraft trials.

TRIALS FOR WITCHCRAFT.

1563. Dunfermline.—Jun. 26 Agnes Mulikine, alias Bessie Boswell, in Dunfermeling, wes Banist and exilit for Wichecraft.¹—PITCAIRN, vol. i. part I, p. 432.

1572. The 28th of Apryle thair was ane witche brunt in St Androis, wha was accused of mony horrible thingis, which scho denyed; albeit they were sufficientlie proven. Being desyred that scho wold forgive a man, that had done hir some offence (as scho alledged), refused; then when ane vther that stude by said, gif scho did not forgive, that God wald not forgive hir, and so scho suld be dampned. Bot scho not caren for hell nor heawin, said opinlie, I pas^[2] not whidder I goe to hell or heawin, with dyvers vtheris execrable wordis. Efter hir handis were bound, the provest causeth lift vp hir claithis, to see hir mark that scho had, or to sie gif scho had any thing vpon hir I can not weill tell, bot thair was a white claith like a collore craig^[3] with stringis in betuene hir leggis, whairon was mony knottis vpon the stringis of the said collore craig, which was taken from hir sore gainst hir will; for belyke scho thought that scho suld not have died that being vpon her, for scho said, when it was taken from hir, “Now I have no hoip of myself.”—BANNATYNE, p. 339.

18th Januarii 1575. The quhilk day, Robert Grub yownger in Baalye, witnes, examinat, upon the dilatioun and accusatioun of Mariorye Smytht, spous of Johne Pa, dilatit and accusat of wichecraft, sworne, deponis that he hard be his awin wyffe, Isobel Johnestoun, and Nannis Michell, report that the said Isobel Johnestoun, being in traveling of hir childe, Pais wyffe cam to hir and Nannis Michel being thair layit hir hand on the said Nannis, and sche becam seik incontinent thaireftir; and the deponentis wyffe being laid up in hir bed, sche tuik the said Nannis be the hand, and sche becam weil again, and eat and drank witht the rest of the wemen [that] war thar; and attour,^[1] deponis that viij or nyne dayis taireftir his spous foirsaid, being verry seik, send for the said Pa wyffe, and sche refusit to cum quhil the deponent yeid hym self and compellit hir to cum, and at hir cumin sche tuik the deponentis wyffe be the arme, and grapit hir, and pat up hir fyngaris betwix the scheddis of hir hair, and incontinent thaireftir sche cryit for mait: and attour, deponis his wyffe was sa seik that nane trowit hir lyffe being oppressit with swait and womyng,^[2] quhil Pa wyffe cam and handillit hir, and this was foure yeir syne cum Witsunday.

Christiane Methtuen, . . . deponis in hir aitht that tyme foirsaid sche was present in Grub hows, quhen his wyffe was travelling in hir childe-evill, and Nannis Michel cam in, and eftir sche had askit at Grub wyffe hir ant quhow sche did, Pa wyffe said, sche wald be weil belyffe, and incontinent thaireftir the said Nannis Michel becam verry seik, and Grub wyffe was lychtar^[3] incontinent and softer of hir seikness; and Grub wyffe being laid up in hir bed the said Nannis becam the better: and confessis that they war all fleyit,^[4] and ane myst cam ower the deponent’s ein, that sche could not see quhat Payis wyffe did to Grub wyffe: and forthir deponis that ix days eftir the said Grub wyffe was lychter and being verry seik, the deponent and Robert Grub yeid for Pa wyffe, and compellit [hir] to cum and vesy^[5] Grub wyffe, and eftir sche tuik Grub wyffe be the hand sche becam the bettir and eit and drank. . . .

James Gilrwitht, witnes, confessis that his kow gaif na mylknes, and his dochtir repruffit and accusit Mariory Smytht that hir fathir kow gaif na mylk, and thaireftir his dochtir becom seik, and Mariory being callit to James Gilrwitht hous to vesy his dochtir, sche said nathyng wald aill hir scho wald be weil aneucht.

Item, Andro Sellar and Thomas Christie, examinat in the said mater, deponis that they desyrit Johne Pay nocht to depart of the town gyf his and his wyffs caus war gud. He ansuered that he feared, and thairfoir he and his wyffe yeid thair wayis: And Besse Hereis confessed the sam, and forthir [that he] said that for hym self he durst byde: bot yit his wyffe feared, and thairfoir they durst not byde.

FLEMING, pp. 414-416.

1588. St. Andrews.—May 28—Alesoun Peirsoun in Byrehill. Dilatit of the points of Wichcraft eftir specifeit. . . .

Verdict. The said Alesoune, being put to the knawledge of ane Assyis of the personis aboue writtin, wes conuict be thair delyverance, of the vsing of Sorcerie and Wichcraft, with the Inuocatioun of the spreitis of the Dewill; speciallie in the visioune and forme of ane Mr William Sympsoune, hir cousing and moder-brotheris-sone, quha sche affermit wes ane grit scoller and doctor of medicin, that haillit hir of hir diseis in Lowtheane, within the toun of Edinburghe, quhair scho reparit to him, being twell zeiris of aige; and thair cuming and gangind be the space of sewin zeiris, quhen scho wes helpit of hir seiknes, quhilk scho had quhan hir poistee¹ and power wes tane fra hir hand and fute; continewing thairby in familiaritie with him, be the space foirsaid; dealing with charmes, and abusing of the commoun people thairwith, be the said airt of Wichcraft, thir diuers zeiris pypast.—(2) Item, for hanting and repairing with the gude nychtbouris and Quene of Elfame² thir diuers zeires bypast, as scho had confest be hir depositiounis, declaring that could nocht say reddelie how lang scho wes with thame; and that scho had freindis in that court quhilk wes of hir a win blude, quha had gude acquentance of the Queen of Elphane, quhilk inycht haif helpit hir; bot scho wes quhyles weill and quhyles ewill, and ane quhyle with thame and ane vthir quhyle away; and that scho wald be in hir bed haill and feir, and wald nocht wit quhair scho wald be on the morne: And that scho saw nocht the Quene thir sewin zeir: And that scho had mony guid freindis in that court, bot wer all away now: And that scho wes sewin zeir ewill handlit in the Court of Elfane and had kynd freindis thair, bot had na will to visseit thame eftir the end: And that itt wes thay [these] guid nychtbouris that haillit hir vnder God: And that scho wes cuming and gangand to Sanct Androus in hailling of folkis, thir saxtene zeiris bypast.—(3) Item, conuict of the said airt of Wichecraft, in sa far, as be hir Depositione scho confest that the said Mr Williame Sympsoun, quha wes hir guidschire-sone,¹ borne in Striuiling, his fader wes the Kingis smyth, lernit hir craft, quha wes tanc away fra his fader be ane mann of Egypt, ane gyant, being bot ane barne, quha had him away to Egypt with him, quhair he remanit to the space of tuell zeiris or he come hame agane; and that his fader deit in the meane tyme for opining of ane preist-buik and luking vponne it: And that the said Mr Williame haillit hir, sone eftir his hame cuming.—(4) Item, that scho being in Grange-mure, with the folkis that past to the Mure, scho lay doun seik alane; and thair come ane man to hir, cled in grene clathis, quha said to hir, ‘Gif scho wald be faithfull, he wald do hir guid’; and that scho seing him, cryit for help, bot nane hard hir; and thane, scho chargeit him, ‘In Godis name and the low he leuit one,’ if he come in Godis name and for the weill of hir soull, he sould tell: Bot he gaid away thane, and apperit to hir att ane vther tyme, ane lustie mane, with mony mene and wemen with him: And that scho sanit hir and prayit, and past with thame fordir nor scho could tell;¹ and saw with thame pypeing and mirrynes and gude scheir, and wes careit to Lowtheane, and saw wyne punchounis with tassis^[2] with thame: And quhene scho tellis of thir thingis, declarit, scho wes sairlie tormentit with thame: And that scho gatt ane sair straik, the fyrst tyme scho gaid with thame, fra ane of thame, quhilk tuke all the poistic³ of hir car syde fra hir, the mark quhairof wes blae and ewill faurrit;⁴ quhilk mark scho felt nocht, and that hir syd wes far war.⁵—(5) Item, that scho saw the guid nychtbouris¹ mak thair sawis,² with panis and fyris: And that they gadderit thair herbis, before the sone rysing, as scho did: And that thay come verry feirfull³ sumtymes, and fleit⁴ hir verry sair, and scho cryit quhene thay come: And that thay come quhyles anis in the aucht dayes, and when scho tauld last of it, they come to hir and boistit⁵ hir, saying, scho sould be war handlit nor of befoir; and that thaireftir thay tuke the haill poistie of hir syde, in sic soirt, that scho lay tuentie oulkis⁶ thaireftir: And that oft tymes thay wald cum and sitt besyde hir, and promesit that scho sould newir want, gif scho wald be faithfull and keip promeis; bot, gif sch wald speik and tell of thame and thair doingis, thay sould martir hir: And that Mr Williame Sympsoun is with thame, quha haillit hir and teichit hir all thingis, and speikis and wairnis hir of thair cuming and saulfis hir; and that he was ane zoung man nocht sax zeiris eldar nor hirself; and that scho wald feir quhene scho saw him; and that he will appeir to hir selff allane before the Court⁷ cum; and that he before tauld hir how he wes careit away with thame out of middileird: And quhene we heir the quhirll-wind blaw in the sey, thay wilbe commounelie with itt, or cumand sone thaireftir; than Mr Williame will cum before and tell hir, and bid hir keip hir and sane hir, that scho be nocht tane away with thame agane; for the teynd of thame gais ewerie zeir to hell.¹—(6) Item, of hir confessioune maid, That the said Mr Williame tauld hir of ewerie² seiknes, and quhat herbis scho sould tak to haill thame, and how scho sould vse thame; and gewis hir his directioune att all tymes; And in speciall, scho said, that he tauld hir, that the Bischop of Sanct Androus³ had mony seiknessis, as the trimbling fewer,⁴ the palp,⁵ the rippillis⁶ and the fiexus;⁷ and baid hir mak ane saw⁸ and rub it on his chcikis, his craig, his breist, stommak and sydis: And siclyke, gait hir directiounis to vse the zow mylk^9...