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/387 Bessie Wilson

name of accused
Bessie Wilson
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/376
Case date start
28/6/1661
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

  • demonic (secondary characteristic)
  • Implicated by another (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
None

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
Devil came in black clothes like a gentleman, and looked like her husband.
  • Male in the likeness of her husband

Demonic pacts

  • Anti-baptism
  • Want nothing
  • Head and foot
  • Sex
  • Servant

witches meetings

  • Witches meeting
  • Devil present
Notes
None

Meeting places

  • None Hilltop
  • her own Bed
  • Mortonhall Park Yard

musical instruments

  • no information

Folk culture

Notes
None

Counter strategies

  • no information

white magic

  • no information

Elf/fairy elements

  • no information

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • no information

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

  • Sorcery
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
Books of Adjournal JC2/11; JC2/10 fos. 17v-20r JC2/10 and JC2/11 have the same text. Also found in the High Court Record Index, no. 1 for 7/8/1661, this index did not distinguish between circuit and high court cases. This list of names was added in the margins with a modern hand, no indication of where the person got the list.
High Court Process Notes JC 26/27, 'Margaret Hutcheson' bundle un-numbered item in 'Margaret Hutcheson' bundle, Margaret Porteous confession.
APS vol 7, p 336. None
High Court Process Notes JC26/27/5 item 8 mentioned
High Court Process Notes JC26/27/5 item 9 Same as the information in the JC2s, only this draft dittay has people charged who did not appear in the final High Court Books of Adjournal. A small amount of new information in this document.
High Court Process Notes JC26/27/5 item 12 This document is a draft dittay with notes indicating whether or not the accused witch went to the trial of an assize or not. She went to an assize trial. I think the Books of Adjournal edited out the accused witches who did not pass on to the assize. This is either a draft dittay or a first draft of the Books of Adjournal.
High Court Process Notes JC26/27/5 item 13 29/7/1661