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/141 Issobel Griersoune

name of accused
Issobel Griersoune
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/130
Case date start
10/3/1607
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

  • demonic (secondary characteristic)
  • folk healing (secondary characteristic)
  • maleficium (secondary characteristic)
  • neighbourhood dispute (secondary characteristic)
  • neighbourhood dispute (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
She was described by all the accusers of having an evil will and malice against the victims. There were disputes over debt and other neighbourhood issues.
additional persons
name involvement notes
no additional persons recorded

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
The Devil in the likeness of a black cat in the company of a bunch of other black cats went to a house to do harm. She was accused of sending the Devil to do her bidding. In one case, when a victim saw the Devil in her shape he called her name out and she disappeared.
  • Male Black man
  • Baby naked infant bairn
  • Animal Devil the witch's Cat
  • Female in likeness of the accused

Demonic pacts

  • no information

witches meetings

Notes
None

Meeting places

  • no information

musical instruments

  • no information

Folk culture

  • Specific ritual acts
  • Shape changing
  • Sympathetic magic
Notes
Peole made up with her over drinks, and a strange poor woman turned up asking for meat, and announced that the accuser was bewitched. I read her as a community healer who diagnosed the situation, but the accuser was either hiding the fact that they hired her or hiding her identity.

Counter strategies

  • Appeasement
  • Community Healer

white magic

  • no information

Elf/fairy elements

  • no information

Shape-changing

  • Spirit

Ritual objects

  • Flesh

Religious motif

  • no information

Calendar customs

  • no information

Diseases or illness

  • Human illness
  • Human death
  • Laying on
  • Quarreling
  • Cursing
  • Healing humans
Notes
She 'pisched upon Margaret' when in spirit form. She engaged in colourful cursing. One man was in debt to her, she cursed him - he remembered this when he was sick. He paid the debt asked for help for his sickness three times and recovered.

Cause of witch's malice

  • Debt
  • Revenge for being called a witch

Other maleficia

  • Property damage

    • Damage to property

    • Ale

    weather modification

    • no information

    Notes
    The last item involved a sickness that was removed by drinking ale, then recast with loads of curses when the cured woman called her a witch in public. There were also a couple of instances of appeasement.

    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 JC2/4 fo. 174r-176v Also found in the High Court Record Index, no. 1 for 20/1/1607
    Pitcairn v ii, p. 523-526 Same text as JC2/4