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/2244 Jonet Rendall

name of accused
Jonet Rendall
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/2181
Case date start
11/11/1629
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)
  • refused charity (secondary characteristic)
  • refused charities (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
Almost all the accusations against her concern mumbling and perceived harm after people refused to give her alms.
additional persons
name involvement notes
no additional persons recorded

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
She called the Devil 'Wallliman', and claimed that he taught her to heal so that people would give her alms. He also taught her to harm those who refused to give her alms.
  • Male white clothes with a white head and a grey beard

Demonic pacts

  • no information

witches meetings

  • Witches meeting
  • Devil present
Notes
None

Meeting places

  • Hill of Rendall Hilltop

musical instruments

  • no information

Folk culture

Notes
People seemed to remember incidents of alms or lodging refusals (followed by murmuring and harm) that happened on special days.

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

  • Candlemas
  • Halloween
  • Saint Thomas Eve

Diseases or illness

  • Human illness
  • Human death
  • Animal illness
  • Laying on
Notes
She also stole the profit of milk.

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
    The case date was taken from the Marwick papers (i.e. Marwick's notes on primary documents I can't find! The documents that have been found in Orkney are undated, but catalogued as 1646?
    references
    name notes
    Sheriff Court Book SC11/5/1646/10 See also Black 'Orkney and Shetland Folklore' pp. 103-111. The project did not check Larner's reference to this printed secondary source as part of the research.