The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft

1563-1736

By Julian Goodare, Lauren Martin, Joyce Miller and Louise Yeoman, January 2003

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Case Details

C/EGD/1545 Issobell More McKaw

name of accused
Issobell More McKaw
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/1531
Case date start
24/6/1649
Given case date
no information
Case commission
no information
case complaint
no information
case correspondence
no information
case chronicle
no information
other details
no information

characterisation

  • consulting (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
  • white magic (secondary characteristic)
  • white magic (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
None
additional persons
name involvement notes
no additional persons recorded

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
None
  • no information

Demonic pacts

  • no information

witches meetings

Notes
None

Meeting places

  • no information

musical instruments

  • no information

Folk culture

  • Specific ritual acts
  • Sympathetic magic
Notes
This involved a group of people who confessed to turning the riddle - sieve. McKaw said it was to get some silver for her mother although it is not clear if this silver had been lost. Kirk session were troubled by the case but did not indicate it was witchcraft.

Counter strategies

  • no information

white magic

  • Prophesy
  • Finding lost goods

Elf/fairy elements

  • no information

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • Sieve

Religious motif

  • no information

Calendar customs

  • no information

Diseases or illness

Notes
None

Cause of witch's malice

  • no information

Other maleficia

Damage to property

  • no information

weather modification

  • no information

Notes
None

Other charges

  • no information

Notes
None

Plea

Claimed bewitched
no
Claimed possessed
no
Admitted lesser charges
no
No defence
no
Claimed natural causes
no
Notes
None
Case Notes
None
references
name notes
Kingarth Kirk Session records CH2/219/1, ff 12-14. None
Highland Papers Vol III, p 28. Details from later investigation in 1662 when she named several other people. Although this may not have been a separate investigation simply a reference to her confession, as it is referred to as 'having confessed about 20 yeires sine did delate…'
Highland Papers Vol III, pp 10, 19. Named in another person's confession.