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/2178 Margaret Atkin

name of accused
Margaret Atkin
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/2122
Case date start
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

  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
None
additional persons
name involvement notes
no additional persons recorded
linked trials
name trial type link year notes
no recorded linked trials

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

Notes
None

Counter strategies

  • no information

white magic

  • no information

Elf/fairy elements

  • no information

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • no information

Religious motif

  • no information

Calendar customs

  • no information

Diseases or illness

Notes
None

Cause of witch's malice

  • no information

Other maleficia

Damage to property

  • no information

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
The project did not check Larner's reference to this printed secondary source as part of the research. But Dr. Julian Goodare has written about her in The Scottish Witch-Hunt in Context, pp. 58-60. She was known as 'The Great Witch of Balweary' and she was carted around identifying witches as far afield as Glasgow, until her method of looking into the eyes of a witch was proven false. Goodare credits her with helping to increase the numbers of cases in 1597.
references
name notes
None None 'Records of the Scottish Church History Society' (Glasgow, 1924-44), Vol 3,p. 66-7. The project did not check Larner's reference to this printed secondary source as part of the research.