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/2572 Helen Birrell

name of accused
Helen Birrell
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/2481
Case date start
4/4/1626
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

  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
None
additional persons
name involvement notes
no additional persons recorded
linked trials
name trial type link year notes
no recorded linked trials

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

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
The project did not check MacDonald's reference to this printed secondary source as part of the research.
references
name notes
None None Campbell, Rev, John 'The church and parish of Kirkcaldy: from the earliest times till 1843' (Kirkcaldy, 1904), p. 167. The project did not check MacDonald's reference to this printed secondary source as part of the research. There is also a mention in 1616 of Helen Birrell, see p. 166.