The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft

1563-1736

By Julian Goodare, Lauren Martin, Joyce Miller and Louise Yeoman, January 2003

The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft logo

Case Details

C/EGD/2610 Bessie Mortoun

name of accused
Bessie Mortoun
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/2514
Case date start
18/12/1649
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)
  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
Demonic included as a secondary as although no details she was examined by John Kincaid so demonic features were clearly expected by the investigators.
additional persons
name involvement notes
John Kincaid Witch-pricker

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
None
references
name notes
Dunfermline Kirk Session records CH2/592/1. See also Bensen, R 'South West Fife and the Scottish Revolution: The Presbytery of Dunfermline, 1633-52' unpublished M.Litt. Dissertation, University of Edinburgh, 1978, Appendix 2, pp. 272, 274. The project did not check MacDonald's reference to this printed secondary source as part of the research.