The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft

1563-1736

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

The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft logo

Case Details

C/EGD/1045 Steven Malcome

name of accused
Steven Malcome
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/1034
Case date start
20/3/1628
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

  • unorthodox religious practise (secondary characteristic)
  • folk healing (secondary characteristic)
  • folk healing (primary characteristic)
  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
  • white magic (secondary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
Seems to have been a recognised healer as people from several parishes described how he had healed their sicknesses, including St Ninian's, Logie, Kippen and Gargunnock.

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
Confessed that he had seen the fairies in different forms but did not describe them.
  • no information

Demonic pacts

  • no information

witches meetings

Notes
None

Meeting places

  • no information

musical instruments

  • no information

Folk culture

  • Elphane or Fairyland
  • Specific Verbal Formulae
  • Specific ritual acts
  • Unorthodox religious practice
  • Sympathetic magic
Notes
Described several rituals for healing, which he claimed he had learned from the fairy folk. They had appeared to him in several forms at several different places. Used water (south running) to heal. Would charm sarks with water and words. Carried a sick child over a dyke to cure it. Told a father his child had taken a 'fray in the night'. Told to take it outside at 11 or 12 o'clock, lay his hands on the child and shake his drawn sword over it, as the fairies would not come when they saw a drawn sword. Identified where a woman got sick and told her to go there and seek her health in God's name.

Counter strategies

  • no information

white magic

  • Divination

Elf/fairy elements

  • Group of fairies
  • Changeling
  • Iron

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • Water
  • Stones
  • Bread
  • Cheese
  • Sword
  • Fire
  • Shirt

Religious motif

  • Prayer
  • Trinity

Calendar customs

  • no information

Diseases or illness

  • Removal bewitchment
  • Rec. healer
  • Healing humans
  • 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
The details in the presbytery records are all about charming. Witchcraft is not mentioned.

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
RPC 2nd S, v1 p. 353 None
Stirling Presbytery records CH2/722/5, pp. 18-28. None