Blackwood's Magazine/Volume 1/Issue 2/Confessions of Witchcraft

CONFESSIONS OF WITCHCRAFT.

[The following extracts form part of a series of depositions made before the Kirk Session of Perth, 1623, and are copied from the original MS. signed, as below, by the clerks of Session and Presbytery. They are chiefly interesting on account of the allusions they contain to several curious popular charms and superstitions. We have now before us a number of other original papers relating to the history of witchcraft, from which, perhaps, we may hereafter give some extracts of a more strange and striking description, if we find that these can be separated from the profane and revolting details—of which they contain more than enough to shock even such readers as have the most voracious appetite for the horrible.]

Depositiounes of Isso^ll Haldane suspect of Wychvraft, confessit be her the 10 of Maij 1623, as followis—

***** Item—Being askit if scho hed onye conversatione with the Farye Folk—Answerit, that ten yeiris syne, lying in her bed, scho wes taikin furth, quhidder be God or the Deuill scho knawis no^t.; wes caryit to ane hill side; the hill oppynit, and scho enterit in; thair scho stayit thrie clayis, viz. fra thurisday till sonday at xij houris. Scho mett a man with ane grey beird, quha brocht her furth agane.

Item—That same day John Roch deponit that about that same tyme he beand in James Chrystie the wrichtis buith, caussing the wricht mak ane cradill to him, becaus his wyff wes neir the down lying, the said Issobell Haldane com by, desyreit him no^t, to be sa hastie, for he neidit no^t.; his wyff sould nocht be lichter till that tyme fyve-oulkis, and then the bairne suld neuer ly in the craidill, bot be borne, bapteisit, and neuer sook, bot die and be tayne away: And as the said Issobell spak sa it cam to pass in euerie poynt.—The said Issobell being demandit how scho knew that, answerit that the man with the grey beird tauld her.

Item—The said Johne Roch deponit that Mar^t. Buchannane, spous to Dauid Reid, being in helth at her ordinare wark, the said Isso^ll Haldane come to hir and desyreit hir mak hir for deith, for befoir Fastingis evin, q^lk wes within few dayis, scho suld be taikin away: And as scho said, so it wes befoir that terme the woman died.—Being askit how scho knew the terme of hir lyfe, the said Isso^ll answerit scho hed speirit it at y^t same man with the grey beird, and he hed tauld her.

(May 16.)—Patrick Ruthuen, skynner in Perth, compeirit and declairit, that he being wychit be Margaret Hormscleuch, Issobell Haldane com to see him: scho com in to the bed and streichit hir self abone him, hir heid to his heid, hir handis ower him, and so furth, mumbling some wordis, he knew nocht quhat they war.—The said Issobell confessit the said cure, and deponit, that before the said Patrick wes wychit scho met him, and foirbad him to go till scho had gone with him.

(May 19.)—Compearit Stephen Ray in Muretoun, and deponit that time yeiris syne that Isso^ll Haldane hauing stollin sum bere furth of the Hall of Balhouffye he followit hir and brocht hir bak agane: Scho chaipit him on the schulder, saying—Go thy way, thow sall no^t win thy self ane bannok of breid for yeir and day: And as scho threttinit sa it cam to pas; he dwynit hauelie diseiseit.—The said Issobell confessis the away taking of the bere, the diseise of the man; and affirmeis that onlye scho said—He that delyuerit me from the farye folk sail tak amendis on thé.

Item—The same day scho confest scho maid thrie seuerall kaikis, euerie ane of them of ix curneis of meill gotten fra ix wemen that wer maryit madynis; maid ane hoill in the crown of euerie ane of theme, and pat ane bairne throw it thrie tymes in the name of * * * * * *^[1] to wemen that pat the saidis bairneis thryse throw backwand wseing the saidis wordis.

Item—The said Issobell confest that scho went silent to the well of Ruthuen and returneit silent, bringing watter frome thence to wasch John Gowis bairne: quhen scho tuik the watter frome the well scho left ane pairt of the bairneis sark at it, q^lk scho tuik with hir for that effect, and quhen scho cam ham scho wousch the bairne thairwith. Inlyk maner scho confest scho hed done the elyk to Johne Powryis bairne.

(May 27.)—The said Isso^ll confessit that scho hed gewin drinkis to cure bairneis; amangis the rest that Dauid Moreis' wyff com to hir, and thryse for Goddis saik askit help to hir bairne thet wes ane scharge; aud scho send furth hir sone to gather sochsterrie leaveis, quhairof scho directit the bairneis mother to mak ane drink: Bot the bairneis mother deponit that the said Isso^ll Haldane, on being requirit cam to hir house and saw the bairne, said it wes an scharge taikin away, Tuik on hand to cure it, and to that effect gaiff the bairne a drink, efter the ressait q^r of the bairne shortlie died.

Williame Young, Scribe to the Presbytrie of Pearth, at command of the samyn, w^t my hand.

James Dauidsone, Notarie public, and Clerke to the Sessioune of Perth, at their command and directioun, with my hand.

1. Scil. 'in nomine Dei Patris et Filú et Spiritus Sancti.