After witchcraft became unpopular, persons of youth,
beauty, and rank, as well as people of old age, poverty,
and deformity, often fell victims to superstition. The
history of Lady Glammis is a painful one, exhibiting the
gross darkness and ferocity of her time. Being beautiful,
and in good position, her hand was sought by noblemen
whose name and fame did, in some respects, honour to
their country. As Lady Glammis could have only one husband
at a time, she was compelled to reject proposals made
to her by members of first-class families—a necessity that
was not looked at in its proper light; for her refusals, both
when she was a maid and widow, to enter into matrimonial
alliance with the heads of noble houses, raised formidable
enemies against her. Her influence at court was great;
but this did not save her from being accused of witchcraft.
The fair popular lady was tried in a criminal court for
procuring the death of her husband by intoxication, or
unholy drugging; for a design to poison the king; and for
notorious witchcraft. She was found guilty, and burned.
[Pg 512]Lady Fowlis was another intended noble victim. She
and her step-son, Hector Munro, were tried, in 1590,
for witchcraft, incantation, sorcery, and poisoning. The
charges against the lady were the diabolical acts of making
two images of clay, the one representing the young lady
of Balnagowan, and the other personating Robert Munro
(both of whom, it was alleged, stood in her way of advancement
in life), which figures two notorious witches
put up in a room, and shot at with elf arrows. As
these operations did not terminate the existence of the
intended victims, an attempt was made to poison them;
but for a time this also proved unsuccessful. At length
the young lady of Balnagowan tasted her sister-in-law's
infernal potion, whereby she contracted an incurable
disease. Disappointed at the draught not immediately
proving fatal, Lady Fowlis sent far and wide for gipsies
and witches, to consult with them as to what was best to
be done. More clay images were made, and shot at with
elf arrows. She was tried by a jury, composed chiefly of
the Fowlis dependants, who acquitted her.
Several of her witch accomplices were not so fortunate;
they suffered the extreme penalty of the law. It was
proved on trial, that Hector Munro had communed with
three witches, in 1588, for the recovery of his eldest brother,
Robert, who was dangerously ill. The witches "pollit the
hair of Robert Munro, and plet the naillis of his fingers
and taes;" but the charms were ineffectual, and Robert
died. Hector, the panel, was unwell, and pronounced by
women of skill to be incurable unless the chief man of his
blood, George Munro of Abisdale, Lady Catherine's eldest
son, should die for him. All things being ready, George
was sent for to see his sick friend. When he came, a
spell was applied, according to the directions of his foster-mother
and certain witches. A grave was made between
two manors, and at night the sick man was laid in the
grave, where he rested until one of the witches consulted[Pg 513]
the devil as to what should be done next. The invalid was
covered over with turf, while another witch, with a young
boy in her hand, ran the breadth of nine rigs, coming
back to the grave and asking who was her choice? The
response came that Hector was to live and George to die
for him. The ceremony being gone through three times,
all the parties present, except the devil in bodily shape,
returned home. Hector, like his step-mother, escaped
punishment, though the evidence against him was lengthy
and weighty.
In 1633 Sir John Colquhoun of Luss, and Thomas Carlips,
a German servant in his employment, were charged
with consulting necromancers and sorcerers, and with
incest, contrary to the Act of Parliament 9 Queen Mary,
and of an Act of James VI. Colquhoun was married
to Lady Lilias Grahame, the Earl of Montrose's eldest
daughter. The Earl being dead, Lady Colquhoun brought
home Lady Catherine, her second sister (a beautiful young
woman), to reside with her and Sir John. Colquhoun, fascinated
with his sister-in-law's charms, made love to her,
but, meeting with no encouragement from the young lady,
he consulted with Carlips (a necromancer) and with several
witches and sorcerers as to the best way of making her return
his affection. They gave her philters and enchanted
love tokens, including a jewel of gold set with rubies and
diamonds. The enchanted jewel proved effectual: Lady
Catherine's scruples were overcome, and she and Sir John
eloped, making their way to London, whither they were
accompanied by Carlips. Sir John and Carlips, though
indicted, failed to answer the charge, and they were therefore
declared rebels, and "put to the horn."
A singular account is given of the bewitching of Sir
George Maxwell, who died in 1677. The story is founded
on information supplied by his son. It appears that Sir
George Maxwell, being in Glasgow on the 14th October
1676, was suddenly seized at night with a hot and fiery[Pg 514]
disease. He hastened home, fearing the worst; and it
was well he did so, for he was long confined to bed of
a painful disorder, that would not yield to his skilful
physician's treatment. It happened about this time that
a young dumb girl, a stranger, appeared in Polloktown.
She came occasionally to Sir George's house, soliciting
assistance. Observing the gentleman's state, she seemed
much troubled, and, by signs, signified to his daughters
that a woman had pricked Sir George's sides. The girl
subsequently pointed out Janet Mathie as the person who
had done the mischief. As suggested by the girl, Mathie's
house was searched for a wax image, supposed to have
been used as an instrument to torture the unfortunate
gentleman. True enough, a wax image was found,
with two pins stuck in it. Mathie was therefore apprehended,
and committed to prison. In presence of the
Sheriff of Renfrewshire, she was searched for insensible
marks by competent inspectors, who found many devil's
marks.
Sir George recovered slightly, but on the 4th January
he became so poorly that his friends despaired of his life.
Meantime, again acting on the dumb girl's suggestion, the
house in which John Stewart (Janet Mathie's eldest son)
resided was searched, and a clay image, having three pins
stuck in it, lay in the bed where he slept. Stewart, and
one of his little sisters, aged fourteen years, were instantly
arrested. Being pressed to tell the truth, the girl apprehended
told that the image had been made by her brother,
Bessie Weir, Margery Craig, and Margaret Jackson, in
presence of a black man, whom she understood to be the
devil. Sir George, curiously enough, recovered after the
second discovery of an image, the same as he had done
at the finding of the former figure. John Stewart remained
obstinate until his body was searched for insensible
marks. These being discovered in great numbers, so
confounded the man that he admitted his compact with[Pg 515]
Satan. In a judicial declaration he confessed his accomplices
were his sister and the other women named. On
further examination the girl admitted that she, as well
as her mother and brother, had a paction with Satan.
Lord Ross and the Earl of Dundonald granted a warrant
for the apprehension of Bessie Weir, Margaret Jackson,
and Margery Craig. Margaret Jackson, who had reached
the age of eighty years, like her accomplices, had many
devil's marks on her person. She confessed being accessory
to the making of images, with the intention of depriving
Sir George Maxwell of life.
On the 17th January a third image was found under
Janet Mathie's prison bed in Paisley, concerning which
the dumb girl had given information; but it appeared to
be the picture of a woman. The supposition seemed to be
that it represented a lady belonging to the Pollok family;
for against the whole household Mathie had taken an
inveterate grudge.
The Lords of His Majesty's Privy Council, being informed
of what had been done, granted a commission
to Sir Patrick Gauston of Gauston, James Brisbane of
Bishopton, Sir John Shaw, younger, of Greenock, John
Anderson, younger, of Dovehill, and John Preston, advocate,
with Lord George Ross as assessor, to try the
persons in custody. The Commission held its first court
in Paisley on 27th January 1677. Annabil Stewart, the
girl of fourteen years, when brought before the court
for the crime of witchcraft, stated that, in the previous
harvest, the devil, like a black man, came to her mother's
house and requested the declarant to give herself up to
him, under pretence that if she did so she would never
want. Enticed by her mother and Bessie Weir, she put
her hand to the crown of her head, and the other to the
sole of her foot, and swore that she yielded herself up to
his Satanic majesty. She declared that she had a spirit
that attended her, known to herself and the other witches[Pg 516]
by the name of Enippa. Declared further, that all the
other witches had wicked spirits that assisted them in their
evil deeds. She told who were present when the several
images were made. One of the figures was put on a spit,
and turned before the fire. As it went round, each and
all of them kept repeating Sir George Maxwell, Sir George
Maxwell. One night, she said, she saw her brother John
Stewart with a black man with cloven feet.
In a second declaration John Stewart confessed that he,
Bessie Weir, Margaret Jackson, and Margery Craig had
a meeting with the devil on the night of 3rd January,
when he, at the request of Satan, renounced his baptism.
He was induced, he said, to do this, by the devil promising
that he should not want any pleasure, or fail to see revenge
on those who did him wrong. That evening, effigies of
clay were made for taking away the life of Sir George
Maxwell. John observed, when the devil was moulding
the image, that his hands were bluish, and that there were
handcuffs on his wrists.
Margaret Jackson, in her confession, admitted she was
present at the making of an effigy and of a picture
formed in Janet Mathie's house, and that they were
made as instruments for taking away Sir George Maxwell's
life. Admitted further, that, forty years before
her apprehension, she had given herself from the crown
of the head to the sole of the feet to the devil. These
declarations were subscribed by Robert Park, notary-public.
All the accused persons, except Annabil, were found
guilty, and ordered, together with effigies they had prepared
for Sir George's destruction, to be burned. Annabil
seriously admonished her mother to confess before she
suffered; but nothing, we are informed, would move
the obdurate and hardened old witch—so she perished,
denying her guilt.
In the case of Alison Pearson, who suffered for witchcraft[Pg 517]
in Scotland in 1586, several strange revelations
were made. She had had a stroke of paralysis, which so
affected her that at times she suffered severely. She was
a reputed witch, averred to have done serious mischief to
her neighbours. For this reason, she was indicted for
holding communication with demons. She admitted
having intercourse with the Queen of Elfland and the
good neighbours. When she fell into a trance, which happened
often, she saw her cousin, William Sympsoune, of
Stirling (who had been conveyed away to the hills by the
fairies), from whom she received a salve that could cure
every disease; and from this ointment the Archbishop of
St. Andrews confessed he derived benefit. In an indictment
framed against her, it was set forth that she, being
in Grangemuir, lay down sick, and that there came a
man to her, clad in green, who said, if she would be
faithful to him, he would do her much good; but she,
being afraid, cried out, and he went away; that he appeared
to her another time, accompanied by many men
and women, making merry with good cheer and music;
that she was carried away by them; and that, when she
revealed anything, one of the folk chastised her so unmercifully
as to leave ugly marks and take away the power
from one of her sides. In her declaration she stated she
saw the good neighbours (fairies) making their salves,
with pans and fires, from herbs gathered under certain
planets, and on particular days before the sun rose.
Among other revelations, she stated that her cousin,
William Sympsoune, appeared to her in the shape of a
fairy, and bade her sign herself with the cross, to prevent
her being carried to Elfland; for it was dangerous to go
there, as one-tenth of the witches were annually conveyed
thence to the place of everlasting torment.
Another witch story. One night a gentleman in the
west, riding home, was suddenly stopped by an unseen
hand seizing his horse's bridle rein. Having a sword,[Pg 518]
he first struck at one side of his horse's head, and then at
the other. The animal, now unrestrained, galloped home,
when, on putting the horse into the stable, the gentleman
found a hand cut off at the wrist, hanging to the bridle
reins. Suspecting he had been waylaid by Janet Wood
(a reputed witch in the neighbourhood), he called on her
next day, and found her in bed. She complained of being
ill. After conversing with her for a short time, he rose to
take his leave, and held out his hand to shake hands with
her. She offered him her left hand; but he refused to
take it, saying it was unfriendly to use the left hand for
such a friendly purpose. After a good deal of hesitation,
she admitted that she had lost her right hand in an encounter
she had the previous night when out on witch
business. The gentleman produced the hand, and, on it
being compared with her stump, it fitted exactly. The
question then came to be, how the stroke took effect, for
no ordinary sword could have injured the witch; and it
turned out that it had been charmed by the owner's
grandmother, a sensible old woman.
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