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/133 Christian Saidler

name of accused
Christian Saidler
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/122
Case date start
12/11/1597
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)
  • maleficium (secondary characteristic)
  • Implicated by another (secondary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
She was part of a group of four women who appear to have been recognised folk healers who met, taught each other, cured for each other and generally worked together as professionals (the group includes c/egd/136, c/egd/133, c/egd/132, c/egd/131). There is no mention of the Devil.
additional persons
name involvement notes
no additional persons recorded

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
None
  • no information

Demonic pacts

  • no information

witches meetings

  • Witches meeting
Notes
None

Meeting places

  • no information

musical instruments

  • no information

Folk culture

  • Specific ritual acts
  • Sympathetic magic
Notes
A cure involved drinking a mixture of wort and butter. She was to bath in woodbine and roset hett - a combination of plants. She took the blood of a red cock, and baked a bannock with it. Then she took one of her patients shirt and dipped it into a well. Saidler believed that one of her patients was being bewitched by Jonet Stewart, she tried to counteract the magic, failed and told her patient to beg for the forgiveness of Stewart. When she couldn't do a cure, she sent for Levingstone for cures. She used Quick-silver.

Counter strategies

  • Counter-magic
  • Appeasement

white magic

  • no information

Elf/fairy elements

  • no information

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • Plant
  • Herb
  • Shirt
  • Blood (animal)
  • Bannock
  • Metal

Religious motif

  • no information

Calendar customs

  • no information

Diseases or illness

  • Human illness
  • Laying on
  • Removal bewitchment
  • Rec. healer
  • Healing humans
Notes
Claimed to be able to cure leprosy and that she learned the cure from her dad. Was consulted as a healer. She believed that Jonet Stewart had laid a bewitchment on one of her paitients. She worked with Cristian Levingston.

Cause of witch's malice

  • no information

Other maleficia

  • Property damage

    • Damage to property

    • Dairy

    weather modification

    • no information

    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
    Books of Adjournal JC2/3 fo. 224-229 None
    Pitcairn v ii, p. 25-29 almost the same text as JC2/3