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/2256 James Knarstoun

name of accused
James Knarstoun
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/2192
Case date start
28/2/1633
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)
  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (primary characteristic)
  • white magic (secondary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
None
additional persons
name involvement notes
no additional persons recorded

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

  • Elphane or Fairyland
  • Specific Verbal Formulae
  • Specific ritual acts
  • Unorthodox religious practice
  • Sympathetic magic
Notes
Used three hot stones (one for the ebb, one for the hill and one for the kirk yard) and placed them in the lintel of the door then said words as a cure. Water taken from St. Mary's well at midnight. Used molten lead or wax put in cold water to divine. Used an oil made from meiklewort (deadly nightshade) to cure.

Counter strategies

  • no information

white magic

  • Divination

Elf/fairy elements

  • Midnight

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • Stones
  • Water
  • Lead
  • Wax
  • Herb
  • Oil
  • Aqua Vitae

Religious motif

  • Holy well
  • Three
  • Trinity

Calendar customs

  • no information

Diseases or illness

  • Healing humans
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
None
references
name notes
Marwick Collection D31/4/3 See also J G Dalyell 'The Darker Superstitions of Scotland' Edinburgh, 1834, p 153, 377, 508-9, 511, 565. The project did not check Larner's reference to this printed secondary source as part of the research.