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/170 Alisone Nisbet

name of accused
Alisone Nisbet
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/159
Case date start
1/7/1630
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

  • unorthodox religious practise (secondary characteristic)
  • folk healing (secondary characteristic)
  • folk healing (primary characteristic)
  • maleficium (secondary characteristic)
  • midwifery (secondary characteristic)
  • neighbourhood dispute (secondary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
Mostly healing attempts gone wrong. She seems to have been targeted also for her known adultery with a minister's servant. Her repeated adultery (to which she confessed) did not help her case. She was also accused of being part of Lady Samuelston's plot to kill her husband. A midwives competition for clients was the setting for one the accusations against her. The pregnant woman chose her and she then did an elaborate ritual which got her into trouble.

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

  • Specific Verbal Formulae
  • Specific ritual acts
  • Unorthodox religious practice
  • Sympathetic magic
Notes
Scratching used against her! She walked withershins, southwards, and three times, involved in helping relieve the pain of childbirth. She tried to cure her brother using South running water and by burning his things. She was seen walking on Samuelstone's land and therefore being a part of Lady Samuelston's plot to kill her husband. She was accused of doing a midwifery ritual that got her into trouble. To ease the pain after childbirth she brought in a big pan of water, threw salt on a fire and rubbed the patient. She then dipped her fingers in the water and sprinkled it over the patient three times while uttering words. The words spoken were 'banes to the fyre and soule to the Devill'. St Peter's day was supposedly 29 June.

Counter strategies

  • Scratching

white magic

  • no information

Elf/fairy elements

  • no information

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • Water
  • Salt
  • Wheat

Religious motif

  • Baptism Imagery
  • Three

Calendar customs

  • St Peter's Day

Diseases or illness

  • Human death
  • Animal illness
  • Animal death
  • Aggravating disease
  • Transferring disease
  • Quarreling
  • Cursing
  • Rec. healer
  • Healing humans
Notes
Helped in childbirth, but transferred the disease to the midwife, who died. She was accused of sending problems to the whole town of Hilton.

Cause of witch's malice

  • Revenge

Other maleficia

Damage to property

  • no information

weather modification

  • no information

Notes
Revenge for firing her lover.

Other charges

  • Sorcery
  • Murder
  • Adultery
Notes
None

Plea

Claimed bewitched
no
Claimed possessed
no
Admitted lesser charges
no
No defence
no
Claimed natural causes
no
Notes
None
Case Notes
Her case shares some people with J. Neill (C/EGD/169) - the Strang family in Hilton and the same chancellor of assize. She is described as being the same person as Alison Coline (c/egd/1226) by a modern hand in JC26/10, but I do not think they were the same. They are described as being from different places and the 'Coline' accusations differ from the 'Nisbet' ones.
references
name notes
SJC v1, p. 210-213 Also found in the High Court Record Index, no. 1 for 25/7/1632.
RPC 2nd S, v4 p. 152, 166 None
Books of Adjournal JC2/7 fos. 68v-69v None
RPC 2nd S, v3 pp. 583-584, 603 None
RPC 2nd S, v4 p. 56 charges against the masters and landlords in the Merse for bringing in their tenants to bear witness and to be confronted with John Neill and Elie Nesbitt.
Edinburgh Town Treasurer's Accounts ECA, Town Treasurer's Account, vol. 5 (1623-36), 1631-2 4 Aug. p. 892 None
Process Notes JC26/10 'Alison Nisbet' bundle Her bundle had fifteen items in it, with lots of details of accusations, a dittay, witness statements and pre-trial procedural stuff (lists of assize members and witnesses, etc.).