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/238 John Corse

name of accused
John Corse
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/227
Case date start
17/12/1657
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)
  • Implicated by another (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
None

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
The devil stayed all night in his and his wife's house.
  • Male black man
  • Male with a cloven lip

Demonic pacts

  • Devil's Mark right cheek

witches meetings

  • Witches meeting
  • Devil present
  • Dancing
Notes
He said he put his name in a book. Another witch (Margaret Williamson) complained to the Devil about him and he was called to the three trees for a meeting. The Devil cast him down at his foot and marked him. The other witches wanted Corse to dance but he wouldn't.

Meeting places

  • Babirn Mill

musical instruments

  • no information

Folk culture

Notes
They opened a locked door at a witches meeting

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
He also confessed to committing adultery with a woman in Dundee.
references
name notes
Process Notes JC26/24 None
Process Notes JC26/24 Later in the box
High Court Record Index No. 1 2/2/1658 None