Scotch Witches--Bessie Dunlop--Alesoun Peirson--Dr. John Fian--The
Devil a Preacher--Examination of Agnes Sampson--Confession of Issobel
Gowdie.
But Scotland was the real home of the witch. Comparatively speaking, the
English hardly knew what a witch was, and the reports of trials are so
numerous that space prohibits my making more than a selection of them.
Witches were important personages--at least, in the sixteenth century--for
we read in the trial of Bessie Dunlop, 1576, how many noble ladies
consulted her. ‘And demandit,--To quhom sche applyit the powder in drink?
Declarit,--That the Lady Johnstoune the elder, send to hir ane servand of
the said ladies, &c ... Interrogat--Quhair sche gaif the gentile woman the
drink? Answerit--In hir awin sisteris hous, the young Ladye Blakhallis....
Demandit--Gif ony uther personnes had bene at hir for the lyke caus?
Declarit--That the Lady Kilbowye elder, send for hir &c....
Demandit--Quhat personnes thar wer? Answerit--The Ladye Thridpairt in the
barronye of Renfrew, send to hir, and sperit at her, Quha was it that had
stollin from hir twa hornis of gold, and are croune of the sone, out of
hir pyrse?... The Ladye Blaire sundrie times had spokin with hir, about
sum claise that was stollin fra hir.’
Again, in the trial of Alesoun Peirson, May 28, 1588: ‘And in speciall,
scho said, that he tauld hir that the Bischop of Sanct Androus[56] had
mony seiknessis, as the trimbling fewer,[57] the palp,[58] the
rippilis,[59] and the flexus;[60] and baid hir mak ane faw,[61] and rub it
on his cheikis, his craig, his breist, stommak and sydis.’
A favourite place of meeting, where they held their Sabbat, was at North
Berwick-Kirk. In the trial of Johnne Feane, alias Cwninghame, December 26,
1590, we find: ‘Item. Fylit, ffor being in cumpany with Satan in the Kirk
of North Berwick, quhair he apperit to him in the forme of ane blak maun
within the pulpett thairof; and efter his out-cuminge of the Kirk, poyntit
the graues and stwid aboue thame; quhilkis wer opnit in thre sindrie
pairtis, twa within and ane without; quhilk the wemen demembrit the deid
corps and bodeis being thairin, with thair galleis;[62] and in contment
wes transportit, without wordis.... Item. Fylit. for being in North
Berwick Kirk, at ane conventioune with Sathan and utheris witches; quhair
Sathan maid ane dewelisch sermon, quhair the said Johnne satt uponne the
left syde of the pulppett, narrest him; And the sermon being endit, he
came doune and tuke the said Johnne be the hand; and led him
widderschinnis[63] about.’
In ‘A True Discourse of the apprehension of Sundrie Witches lately taken
in Scotland,’ etc., 1591, is the following ‘Item. The said Agnis Tompson
(Sampson) was after brought againe before the Kinges Majestie and his
Councell, and beeing examined of the meetings and detestable dealings of
those witches, she confessed, that upon the night of Allhollow Even last,
shee was accompanied, as well with the persons aforesaide, as also with a
great many other witches, to the number of two hundreth, and that all they
together went to Sea, each one in a riddle or cive, and went into the same
very substantially, with flaggons of wine, making merrie and drinking by
the way, in the same riddles or cives, to the Kirk of North Barrick in
Lowthian; and that after they had landed, tooke handes on the lande, and
daunced this reill or short daunce, singing all with one voice,
‘“Commer goe ye before, commer goe ye,
Gif ye will not goe before, commer let me.”
‘At which time shee confessed, that this Geillis Duncane did goe before
them, playing this reill or daunce, uppon a small trumpe, called a Jewe’s
trump, untill they entred into the Kirk of North Barrick.’
This Agnes Sampson was tried on January 27, 1591, for conspiring the
King’s death, witchcraft, sorcery, incantation, etc., and her ultimate
fate was ‘to be tane to the Castle (hill) of Edinburgh, and thair bund to
ane staik and werreit (strangled), quhill sche wes deid; and thairefter
her body to be brunt in assis.’
‘Item, fylit and convict, ffor as mekle as sche confest before his
Maiestie, That the Dewill, in mannis liknes, mett hir going out in the
fieldis frome hir awin hous att Keyth, betwix fyve and sax at ewin, being
hir allane; and commandit hir to be at North Bervick Kirk the nixt nycht:
And she passit thair on horsbak, and lychtit at the Kirk yaird. Or a
lytill before sche come to itt, about ellewin houris att ewin, they
danceit alangis the Kirk yaird, Gelie Duncan playit to thame one a trump.’
She then gives the names of many who were present. ‘Quhairof thair wes sax
men, and all the rest wemen. The wemen maid fyrst thair homage, and nixt
the men. The men wer turnit nyne tymes widderschinnes about, and the wemen
sax tymes. Johnne Fien blew up the duris, and blew in the lychtis,
quhilkis wer lyke mekle blak candillis, stiking round about the pulpett.
The Devill start up himselff in the pulpett, lyke are mekle blak man, and
callit ewerie man be his name, and ewerie ane ansuerit: “Heir, Mr.” The
fyrst thing he demandit, was “Gif thay kepit all promeis, and bene guid
servandis?” and “Quhat thay had done since the last tyme thay had
convenit?”--One his command, thay opnit up the graves, twa within and ane
without the kirk, and tuik of the jountis of thair fingaris, tais and
neife,[64] and partit thame amangis thame: and the said Agnes Sampsoune
gatt for hir pairt, ane windene scheit and twa jountis, quhilk sche tint
negligentlie. The Devill commandit thame to keip the jountis upoun thame,
quhill thay wer dry, and thane to mak ane powder of thame, to do ewill
withall. Then he commandit thame to keip his commandmentis, quhilkis war,
to do all the ewill they could.’
Their initiation was similar to their English sisters’, as the aforesaid
Agnes Sampson affirms. ‘The fyrst tyme sche begane to serue the Dewill,
was eftir the death of hir husband; and that he apperit to hir, in liknes
of ane man, quha commandit hir to acknowledge him as hir maister, and to
renunce Chryste; quhairunto sche grant it, being movit be pouertie and his
promesis, that sche and hir bairnis sould be maid ritch, and sould gif hir
power to be revangeit of hir inimeis; and eftir that, he appointit tyme
and place for thair nycht meting; and that tyme, in signe that sche wes
becum his seruand, he markit hir in the rycht kne, quhilk mark sche
belevit to haif bene ane hurt ressavit be hir fra ane of hir bairnies that
wes lyand in the bed with hir; quhilk hurt wes nocht haill for half ane
yeir.’
Before finishing with this lady, I must give another portion of her most
extraordinary confession. ‘Moreover she confessed, that, at the time when
his Majestie was in Denmarke, shee being accompanied by the parties before
speciallie named, took a cat, and christened it, and afterwards bounde to
each part of that cat, the cheefest part of a dead man, and severall
joyntis of his bodie: And that, in the night following, the saide cat was
convayed into the middest of the sea by all these witches, sayling in
their riddles or cives, and so left the saide cat right before the towne
of Leith in Scotland. This doone, there did arise such a tempest in the
sea, as a greater hath not beene seene.’
This was the way they baptized the cat: ‘In the wobstaris[65] hous, in
maner following: Fyrst, twa of thame held ane fingar,[66] in the ane syd
of the chimnay cruik, and ane uther held ane uther fingar in the uther
syd, the twa nebbis[67] of the fingaris meeting togidder; than thay patt
the catt thryis throw the linkis of the cruik, and passit itt thryis under
the chimnay.’
The confession of Issobell Gowdie, May 3, 1662, although it is somewhat
mutilated, gives us a good insight into the manners and customs of Scotch
witches:
‘Efter that tym ther vold meit bot sometymes a _Coven_, somtymes mor,
somtymes les; bot a Grand Meitting vold be about the end of ilk Quarter.
Ther is threttein persones in ilk _Coven_; and ilk on of us has a _Spirit_
to wait wpon us, quhan ve pleas to call wpon him. I remember not all the
Spritis names; bot thair is on called _Swein_, quhilk waitis wpon the said
Margaret Wilson in Aulderne; he is still[68] clothed in grass grein; and
the said Margret Wilson hes an niknam called _Pikle neirest the Wind_. The
nixt Sprit is called _Rorie_ who waitis wpon Bessie Wilsone, in Aulderne;
he is still clothed in yallow; and hir nikname is _Throw the Corne yaird_.
The third Sprit is called _The Roring Lyon_, who waitis wpon Issobell
Nicoll in Locklow; and [he is still clothed] in sea grein; her niknam is
_Bessie Rule_. The fowrth Sprit is called _Mak Hector_, qwho waitis wpon
Jean Martein, dawghter to the said Margaret Wilson; he is a yowng-lik
Devill, clothed still in grass [green. Jean Martein is] _Maiden_ to the
Coven that I am of; and hir nikname is _Over the Dyke with it_, becaws the
_Divill_ [alwayis takis the] Maiden in his hand nix him, quhan ve daunce
Gillatrypes, and quhan he vold lowp from ...[69] he and she will say,
“Ower the dyk with it.” The name of the fyft Sprit is _Robert the_ [_Rule_
and he is still clothed in] sadd dun, and seimis to be a Comander of the
rest of the Spiritis; and he waittis wpon Margret Brodie, in Aulderne.
[The name of the saxt Spirit] is called _Thieff of Hell wait upon hir
selfe_, and he waitis also on the said Bessie Wilson. The name of the
sevinth [Sprit is called] _The Read Reiver_, and he is my owin Spirit,
that waittis on my selfe, and is still clothed in blak. The aught Spirit
[is called] _Robert the Jackis_, still clothed in dune, and seimes to be
aiged. He is ane glaiked gowked Spirit! The woman’s [nikname] that he
waitis on, is _Able and Stowt_! The nynth Spirit is called _Laing_, and
the womans nikname that he vaitis wpon is _Bessie Bauld_. The Tenth Spirit
is named _Thomas a Fearie_, &c.--Ther wil be many uther Divellis, waiting
wpon [our] _Maister Divell_; bot he is bigger and mor awfull than the rest
of the Divellis, and they all reverence him. I will ken them all, on by
on, from utheris, quhan they appeir lyk a man.
‘Quhan we rease the wind, we tak a rag of cloth, and weitts[70] it in
water; and we take a beetle[71] and knokis the rage on a stone, and we
say thryse ower:
‘“I _knok_ this ragg wpon this stane,
To raise the wind, in _the Divellis_ name;
It sall not lye,[72] untill I please againe!”
‘[Whan] we wold lay the wind, we dry the ragg, and say [thryse ower]:
‘“We lay the wind in _the Divellis_ name,
[It sall not] ryse quhill we lyk to rease it again!”
‘And if the wind will not lye instantlie [after we say this] we call wpon
owr Spirit, and say to him:
‘“Thieffe! Thieffe! conjure the wind, and caws it to [lye ...]”
‘We haw no power of rain, bot ve will rease the wind quhan ve pleas.--He
maid us beliew [...] that ther wes no _God_ besyd him.
‘As for Elf-arrow-heidis, _the Diuell_ shapes them with his awin hand, and
syne deliueris thame to Elf-boyes, who whyttis and dightis[73] them with a
sharp thing lyk a paking neidle; bot [quhan I was in Elfland?] I saw them
whytting and dighting them. Quhan I wes in the Elfes howssis, they will
haw werie ... them whytting and dighting: and _the Diwell_ giwes them to
ws, each of ws so many, quhen.... Thes that dightis thaim ar litle ones,
holow, and boss baked![74] They speak gowstie[75] lyk. Quhen _the Divell_
giwes them to ws, he sayes:
‘“Shoot thes in my name,
And they sall not goe heall hame!”
‘And quhan we shoot these arrowes we say:
‘“I _shoot_ yon man in _the Divellis_ name,
He sall not win heall hame!
And this sal be alswa trw;
Thair sall not be an bit of him on lieiw.”[76]
‘We haw no bow to shoot with, but spang[77] them from the naillis of our
thowmbes. Som tymes we will misse, bot if thay twitch[78] be it beast, or
man, or woman, it will kill, tho’ they haid an jack[79] wpon them. Qwhen
we goe in the shape of an haire, we say thryse owr:
‘“I sall goe intill ane haire,
With sorrow, and sych, and meikle caire;
And I sall goe in _the Divellis_ nam,
Ay whill I com hom [againe]!”
‘And instantlie we start in an hair, And when we wold be owt of that
shape, we vill say:
‘“Haire [haire, God send the caire!]
I am in an hairis liknes just now,
But I sal be in a womanis liknes ewin [now]!”
‘When we vold goe in the liknes of an Cat, we say thryse ower:
‘“I sall go [intill ane catt,]
[With sorrow, and sych, and a blak] shot!
And I sall goe in _the Divellis_ nam,
Ay quhill I com hom again!”
‘And if ve [wold goe in ane Craw,[80] then] we say thryse ower:
‘“I sall goe intill a craw,
With sorrow and sych, and a blak [thraw!
And I sall goe in _the Divellis_ nam,]
Ay quhill I com hom again!”
‘And quhen ve vold be owt of thes shapes, we say:
“Catt, catt, (or craw, craw,) [God] send the a blak shott! (or thraw)
I wes a catt (or craw) just now,
Bot I sal be [in a woman’s liknes evin now.]
Catt, catt, (or craw, craw,) God send the a blak shot! (or thraw).”
‘Giff we in the [shape of an catt, an craw, an] haire, or ony uther
liknes, &c., go to any of our neighbouris howssis, being Witches, we will
[say]:
“[I (or we) _conjure_] the Goe with ws (or me)!”
‘And presentlie they becom as we ar, either cats, hearis, crowes, &c., and
goe [with ws whither we wold. Quhan] we wold ryd, we tak windlestrawes, or
bean stakes,[81] and put them betwixt owr foot, and say thryse:
‘“[Horse] and hattok, horse and goe,
Horse and pellatis, ho! ho!”
‘And immediatlie we flie away whair [evir we wold]; and least our
husbandis sould miss vs owt of owr beddis, we put in a boosom,[82] or a
thrie [leggit stoole besyde thame] and say thryse ower:
“I _lay_ down this boosom (or stooll) in _the Devillis_ name
Let it not steir ... [Quhill I] com again!”
‘And immediatlie it seimis a voman, besyd our husbandis.
‘Ve can not turn in the lik[nes of ...] Quhen my husband sold beeff, I
used to put a swellowes feather in the hyd of the beast, and [say thryse]:
“[I] _putt_ out this beeff in _the Divellis_ nam,
That meikle silver and good pryce com hame!”
‘I did ewin so [quhenevir I putt] furth either horse, noat,[83] vebs,[84]
or any uther thing to be sold, and still put in this feather, and said the
[samin wordis thryse] ower, to caws the comodities sell weill.
“Our Lord to hunting he [is gone]
... marble stone,
He sent vord to Saint Knitt....”
Quhan we vold heall ony sor or brokin limb, we say thryse ower
“He pat the blood to the blood, Till all up stood!
The lith to the lith, Till all look with;
Owr Ladie charmed her deirlie Sone, with hir tooth and her townge,
And her ten fingeris----
In the name of _the Father_, _the Son_, and _the Halie Ghaist_!”
‘And this we say thryse ower, straiking[85] the sor, and it becomes heall.
‘2{dli} For the Bean-straw,[86] or pain in the heaunce,[87] _Wee_ ar heir
thrie _Maidens_ charming for the bean-straw; y{e} man of the Midle-earth,
blew beaver, land-feaver, maneris of stooris, The Lord fleigged[88] the
Feind with his holy candles and yeird foot stone!--Thair she sittis, and
heir she is gon!--Let hir nevir com heir again!
3{dli} For _the Feaveris_, we say thrise ower, I _forbid_ the
qwaking-feavers, the sea-feaveris, the land-feaveris, and all the feaveris
that ewir God ordained, owt of the head, owt of the heart, owt of the bak,
owt of the sydis, owt of the kneyis, owt of the thieghes, fra the pointis
of the fingeris, to the nebes[89] of the toes; owt fall the feaveris goe,
[som] to the hill, som to the hap, som to the stone, som to the stok. In
Saint Peiteris nam, Saint Paullis nam, and all the Saintis of Hevin: In
the nam of _The Father_, _the Sone_, and _The Halie Gost_!
‘And when we took the frwit of the fishes from [the] fisheris, we went to
the shore, before the boat wold com to it; and we wold say, on the shore
syd, thrie seuerall tymes ower,
‘“The fisheris ar gon to the sea,
And they vill bring hom fishe to me;
They will bring them hom intill the boat,
Bot they sall get of thaim bot the smaller sort!”
So we either steall a fish, or buy a fish, or get a fish from them [for
nowght] an or ma.[90] And with that we haw all the fruit of the heall
fishes in the boat; and the fishes that the fishermen thamselues will haw,
will be bot froath &c.
‘The first woyag that ewer I went with the rest of owr _Covens_ wes to
Plewghlandis; and thair we shot an man betwixt the plewgh-stiltis, and he
presentlie fell to the ground, wpon his neise and his mowth; and then _the
Divell_ gaw me an arrow, and cawsed me shoot an voman in that fieldis;
quhilk I did, and she fell down dead. In Winter 1660, quhen Mr. Harie
Forbes, Minister at Aulderne, was seik, we maid an bagg of the gallis,
flesh, and guttis of toadis, pickles of bear,[91] pairingis of the nailis
of fingeris and toes, the liewer of ane hair, and bittis of clowtis. We
steipit this all together, all night among watter, all haked[92] throw
uther. And whan we did put it among the water, _Satan_ wes with ws, and
learned ws the wordis following, to say thryse ower. They ar thus.
‘“_He_ is lying in his bed,--he is lyeing seik and sair;
Let him lye intill his bed two monethes and [thrie] dayes mair!
2{li}. Let him lye intill his bed--let him lye intill it seik and sore;
Let him lye intill his bed, monthis two and thrie dayes mor!
3{li}. He sall lye intill his bed, he sall lye in it seik and sore;
He sall lye intill his bed, two monethis and thrie dayes mor!”
‘Quhan we haid learned all these wordis from _the Devill_, as said is, we
all fell down [wpon owr] kneis, with owr hear down ower owr showlderis and
eyes, and owr handis lifted wp, and owr eyes [stedfastlie fixed wpon] _the
Divell_; and said the forsaidis wordis thryse ower to _the Divell_,
striktlie, against Maister Harie Forbes [his recowering from the said
seiknes]. In the night tym we cam into Mr. Harie Forbes chalmer, quhair he
lay, with owr handis all smeared [... out] of the bagg to swing it upon
Mr. Harie, quhair he wes seik in his bed; and, in the day tyme [... ane of
owr] nwmber, quho wes most familiar and intimat with him, to wring or
swing the bagg wpon the said Mr. Harie, as we could not prevaill in the
night tym against him; quhilk wes accordinglie done.’
‘_Johne Taylor_ and his wyff, _Bessie_, and _Margret Wilsones_, and I,
maid a pictur for the _Laird of Parkis_ maill children. _Johnne Taylor_
brought hom the clay in his plaid newk;[93] his wyff sifted it; we poured
in water in a cowg[94] amongst it, and wrought it sor,[95] and maid a
pictor of it, lyk a child, als big as a pow. It vanted no mark of the imag
of a bairn, eyes, nose, mouth, little lippies, and the hands of it folded
down by its sydis. The vordis, quhan we maid it, ver thes:
‘“We put this water among this meall,
For long divining,[96] and ill heall;
We put it intill the fyr,
To burn them up both stik and stour,
That be burnt with our will,
As any stikill[97] on a kill!”
_The Divell_ sitton on an blak kist. Ve wer al on owr kneyis, and owr hair
about our eyes, looking on _the Divell_ stedfastlie, and our handis lifted
up to him, saying the vordes ower. And by this the bairnis died.’