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/2444 Isobel Adam

name of accused
Isobel Adam
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/2369
Case date start
14/6/1704
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)
  • demonic possesion (secondary characteristic)
  • maleficium (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
None

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
She later denied her confessions. She seems to have answered yes to questions put to her.
  • no information

Demonic pacts

  • Anti-baptism
  • Paction

witches meetings

  • Witches meeting
  • Devil present
Notes
Said she met the devil and named others who had attended.

Meeting places

  • McGregor's house House

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

  • Human illness
Notes
Accused of causing a lad to take fits.

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
This is another possession case. A group of seven people were charged with causing the tormenting of Patrick Morton, the sixteen year old son of a smith in Pittenweem. The town officials cited the precedent of 'Bargarran's daughter in the west' when applying for a commission for trial. The Privy Council appointed Her Majesty's Advocate, Sir James Stewart to prosecute the cases and the Privy Council said they would pay for it from the treasury.
references
name notes
Privy Council PC1/53 p. 247-9 See also Webster, David 'Collections of Rare and Curious Tracts on Witchcraft and Second Sight' (Edinburgh, 1820), pp. 83, 90-1. The project did not check Larner's reference to this printed secondary source as part of the research.
Edinburgh Presbytery records CH2/121/7, p 31, 55, 125 Note in presbytery that she had admitted fornication and that she had been imprisoned in Pittenweem for the crime of witchcraft. Presbytery wrote to minister at Pittenweem who replied that she had confessed to pact etc and then denied her confession. Edinburgh presbytery decided that she could not be allowed to make public repentance for fornication and was ordered to return to Pittenweem. She was to appear there on 29/12/1708.
St Andrews Presbytery records CH2/1132/ 1699-1705, p 294-6. The presbytery volume has no NAS catalogue number yet.