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/110 Gelie Duncan

name of accused
Gelie Duncan
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/99
Case date start
27/1/1591
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)
  • demonic (secondary characteristic)
  • maleficium (secondary characteristic)
  • Implicated by another (secondary characteristic)
  • treason (secondary characteristic)
  • treason (primary characteristic)
  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
Part of the North Berwick witch hunt. It involved many people and many accustions about witches meetings, specifically two separate attempts to sink the royal ships. The first to sink Queen Anne on her way home, second to trouble King James after he went to get her in Denmark. We have her confessions and she denounced Bothwell.
additional persons
name involvement notes
no additional persons recorded

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
She said she heard Bothwell talking about plans, but never saw him.
  • Male mekle black man

Demonic pacts

  • no information

witches meetings

  • Witches meeting
  • Devil present
  • Food and drink
  • Dancing
Notes
She confessed to having a meeting with Agnes Sampson and others where they ate sweat meats, roasted fowl and drank by the sea. She was described as dancing and playing the trump for the rest of the gathering. part of the planning of the conspiracy to sink Queen Anne's ships on the way from Denmark. See Agnes Sampson's case for description of North Berwick meeting (c/egd/63). See napier (c/egd/103) for description of preparation for North Berwick. See also Napier (c/egd/103) for more details about the North Berwick meeting. She said they were paid gold, silver and victual for Sampson and her children. She confessed about the destroying of a ship and taking all the wealth, they were 'crabit' because Grierson got all the 'wrake'.

Meeting places

  • North Berwick Kirk
  • near the pannes Salt pans
  • wobster's house House
  • Foulstruther
  • Beigis Tod's house House
  • Aitchisoune's heavin btw Musselburgh and pannes Shore
  • The Ship

musical instruments

  • Trump

Folk culture

  • Specific ritual acts
  • Unorthodox religious practice
  • Sympathetic magic
Notes
Detailed ritual with four joints tied to the feet of a cat and cast into the sea to raise a wind. She handled the cloth and clay pictures.

Counter strategies

  • no information

white magic

  • no information

Elf/fairy elements

  • no information

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • Cat
  • Corpse
  • Corpse powder
  • Wax/clay images
  • Snake skin
  • Urine (stale)
  • Toad

Religious motif

  • Prayer
  • Baptising animals

Calendar customs

  • Halloween

Diseases or illness

  • Animal illness
  • Transferring disease
  • Healing humans
Notes
Transferred illness from a man to a dog.

Cause of witch's malice

  • no information

Other maleficia

  • Property damage
  • Weather modification

    • Damage to property

    • Boats

    weather modification

    • Wind
    • Storm
    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
    Pitcairn v I, part II, page 230-241 same as JC2/2 JC26/2
    Books of Adjournal JC2/2 fos. 201r-207r None
    Pitcairn v I, part ii, page 245-247 None
    Pitcairn v I, Part II, page 246 None
    Process Notes JC26/2 witchcraft bundle, item 19 None
    Process Notes JC26/2 witchcraft bundle, item 16x, 13 interrogation
    Process Notes JC26/2 witchcraft bundle, item 3 None