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/2541 Margaret Douglas

name of accused
Margaret Douglas
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/2450
Case date start
23/5/1639
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)
  • maleficium (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
This may be case of folk healing rather than malefice, as the witnesses who complained about MD all came from Dysart but MD was from Kirkcaldy. It was also stated that MD had been requested to attend so she would have to have travelled a distance to get to Dysart and the malefice appeared to result from her healing rituals.
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

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 death
  • Transferring disease
  • Healing humans
  • Midwifery
Notes
Witnesses reported to the presbytery that MD had been requested to attend a woman in ?labour or who was ill. The women recovered after MD took her by the hand but the servant who had opened the door then took ill and later died. A child also died.

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
Kirkcaldy Presbytery records CH2/224/1. F128v, 142v, 149r, 153r, 157v. PBK P. 148 Cannot find the full citation for this. The project did not check MacDonald's reference to this printed secondary source as part of the research.