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/2257 Bessie Skebister

name of accused
Bessie Skebister
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/2193
Case date start
21/3/1633
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

  • 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

  • Specific ritual acts
  • Shape changing
  • Sympathetic magic
Notes
She removed her curtch and shook her hair loose at a woman who has been ill ever since. Used a coin to determine if a distant friend was well.

Counter strategies

  • no information

white magic

  • Second Sight
  • Divination

Elf/fairy elements

  • no information

Shape-changing

  • Vision tormenting a sailor

Ritual objects

  • Coin

Religious motif

  • no information

Calendar customs

  • no information

Diseases or illness

  • Quarreling
  • Cursing
Notes
Quarrelling over cows eating Bessie's.

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 His notes on primary documents that aren't held in Orkney. J G Dalyell 'The Darker Superstitions of Scotland' Edinburgh, 1834, pp. 451, 470, 474, 480, 491, 512, 591. The project did not check Larner's reference to this printed secondary source as part of the research.