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/2452 Thomas Broun

name of accused
Thomas Broun
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/2376
Case date start
13/6/1704
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)
  • Implicated by another (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
None

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
Also confessed to tormenting a boy.
  • no information

Demonic pacts

  • Paction
  • Anti-baptism

witches meetings

Notes
None

Meeting places

  • no information

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 young boy 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
St Andrews Presbytery records CH2/1132/ 1699-1705, p 294- See also D Webster 'Tracts on Witchcraft' Edinburgh, 1820, p. 71. The project did not check Larner's reference to this printed secondary source as part of the research.
Privy Council PC1/53 p. 247-9 None