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/1748 Jon Stewart

name of accused
Jon Stewart
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/1731
Case date start
3/1/1677
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)
  • maleficium (secondary characteristic)
  • maleficium (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
Main accusation was involvement in the attempted murder of Maxwell of Pollock - ull details of confession and accusations. He supposedly had malice against Maxwell for arresting his mother. The whole group seems to have had a problem with Maxwell, their landlord - could be that they were doing something in protest.

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
Devil described as a black man, with a bluish band, white hand cuffs, and hogers (leg coverings) with no shoes, and with cloven feet. His name was Ejuall. His voice was described as 'hough and goushe'.
  • Male black man in black clothes

Demonic pacts

  • Devil's Mark
  • Anti-baptism
  • Head and foot
  • Want nothing
  • New name Jonas

witches meetings

  • Witches meeting
  • Devil present
  • Malificium
Notes
The purpose of the meeting was to destroy Maxwell of Pollock with image magic. It supposedely happened on 4/1/1677. It was the second of two meetings for the same purpose. He confessed that the devil spoke quietly to him to wake him for the midnight meeting.

Meeting places

  • his own House

musical instruments

  • no information

Folk culture

  • Elphane or Fairyland
  • Specific ritual acts
  • Sympathetic magic
Notes
Accused of attempted murder by roasting wax/clay figures in a fire and inserting pins into the images. A wax image was found in his bedstraw with pins in it exactly were Maxwell felt pain.

Counter strategies

  • no information

white magic

  • no information

Elf/fairy elements

  • 12:00

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • Pin
  • Wax/clay images
  • Fire

Religious motif

  • no information

Calendar customs

  • no information

Diseases or illness

  • Human illness
Notes
Confessed that he wanted revenge on Pollok after Pollok had taken his mother prisoner.

Cause of witch's malice

  • Revenge

Other maleficia

Damage to property

  • no information

weather modification

  • no information

Notes
None

Other charges

  • Murder
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
RPC 3rd series, vol 5,xxxv-xxxvi, 95. Record of commission for trial
Maxwell of Pollok Papers T-PM 107/14/8. Pollok papers held at Glasgow City Archives.
Circuit Court Books JC10/4 fo. 1r-13v None