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/2388 Issobell Alexander

name of accused
Issobell Alexander
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/2319
Case date start
31/5/1649
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

  • folk healing (secondary characteristic)
  • Implicated by another (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
Early complaint about her charming a cow. Later she was named by another accused witch.
additional persons
name involvement notes
Alexander Dickson Minister
Alexander Murray Commissioner
Adam Murray Commissioner
David Murray Commissioner
John Murray Commissioner
Andrew Hay Commissioner
Robert Hunter Commissioner
William Douglas Commissioner
Robert Douglas Commissioner
William Govan Commissioner
Tait George Commissioner
None None Commissioner
John Scott Commissioner
Michael Scott Commissioner
James Williamson Commissioner
James Horseburgh Commissioner
Robert Thomson Commissioner
John Lowes Commissioner

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

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

  • Healing animals
Notes
None

Cause of witch's malice

  • no information

Other maleficia

Damage to property

  • no information

weather modification

  • no information

Notes
None

Other charges

  • Charming
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
None None Gunn, C B 'The Book of Stobo Church' (Peebles, 1907), pp. 50-1. The project did not check Larner's reference to this printed secondary source as part of the research.
Peebles Presbytery records CH2/295/3, 113v, 130v Earlier note records a complaint about Alexander's charming of a cow. Later entry records her being named in another accused witch's confession.
Committee of Estates PA11/8 fo. 187v.-188r. None