Survey of Scottish Witchcraft, 1563 - 1736

Goodare, Julian; Yeoman, Louise; Martin, Lauren; Miller, Joyce

Case Details

C/EGD/1258 John Philip

name of accused: John Philip
designated title: no information
Accused Reference: A/EGD/1246
Case date start: 8/9/1630
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)
folk healing (primary characteristic)
white magic (secondary characteristic)

Characterisation Notes: Definitely a folk healer who refused to stop his trade after being rebuked and banished by many kirk sessions.

additional persons
name	involvement	notes
James Deskford	Commissioner
Robert Wilson	Commissioner

linked trials
name	trial type	link	year	notes
John Philip	Mentioned in trial	T/LA/1000	None
John Philip	Local Court	T/LA/798	1631

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

Elphane or Fairyland
Specific Verbal Formulae
Specific ritual acts
Sympathetic magic

Notes: He healed someone of the fever with the Queen of Fairy. The belt had been put around the waist of a dead bairn before being used to cure a cow. Used plaits of their hair. 'confessit he knew quhan weshing or charming [wes to be] useit and that weshing was not to be useit bot quhen there was bewitching.' He was descibed as using 'Oriesounes' which means formal speech. A later accusation against someone else detailed his cures - he used lax water from a south-running well in a white pitcher which was warmed on a fire. The water was dumped outside where a cat ran across it, went mad and attacked a man standing nearby. He taught them a charm for enhancing their crops.

Counter strategies

no information

white magic

Protective

Elf/fairy elements

Queen of Fairy

Shape-changing

no information

Ritual objects

Thread
Water
Coal
Belt
Hair
Potions

Religious motif

no information

Calendar customs

no information

Diseases or illness

Transferring disease
Removal bewitchment
Rec. healer
Healing humans
Healing animals

Notes: confessed to charming people in Fintray of the fevers. He confessed to using potions

Cause of witch's malice

no information

Other maleficia

Damage to property

no information

weather modification

no information

Notes: None

Other charges

Sorcery
Charming
Enchantment

Notes: None

Plea

Claimed bewitched: no
Claimed possessed: no
Admitted lesser charges: no
No defence: no
Claimed natural causes: no
Notes: None
Case Notes: good description of a local trial, gives the procedure. He was a healer who worked in Fintray, Ava, Cullen, and all over the North East.

references
name	notes
RPC 2nd S, v4 p. 39	None
RPC 2nd S V4 pp. 637-639	Trial report: he is mentioned in the Privy Council proceedings against Goerge Fraser and Giles Chalmers (spouses) RPC 2nd S, v5 pp.179, 565-566, 571. He was already dead when this happened.
RPC 2nd S, v5 p. 565-566	posthumous description of his healing activities.