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/380 Elspet Graham

name of accused
Elspet Graham
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/369
Case date start
11/7/1661
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 (primary characteristic)
  • Implicated by another (secondary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
Hard to tell what was going on, but a lot of devil stuff. She was delated by Jonet Watson (c/egd/365)

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
The Devil appeared when she was angry with her son. She spoke with the Devil in the form of a black dog at the mill while her daughter was there. The devil kissed her and called her buntein (buntin = plump, short, dumpy).
  • Male in green clothes
  • Animal Devil black dog

Demonic pacts

  • Servant
  • Anti-baptism
  • Sex
  • New name Buntein
  • Devil's Mark Right side
  • Devil's Mark under left papie
  • Want nothing

witches meetings

  • Witches meeting
  • Devil present
Notes
The meeting at the dam was supposedly on the 'last beal fire night' meaning Beltane. Confession document has some descriptions of these meetings.

Meeting places

  • her own house House
  • Newtown Deimhead Dam
  • on the way to the Mill Road

musical instruments

  • no information

Folk culture

  • Elphane or Fairyland
Notes
Definite fairy things here: Devil in green clothes and a witches meeting on Beltane night.

Counter strategies

  • no information

white magic

  • no information

Elf/fairy elements

  • Green

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • no information

Religious motif

  • no information

Calendar customs

  • Beltane

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

  • Sorcery
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
Books of Adjournal JC2/11; JC2/10 fo. 10v-17v JC2/11 and JC2/10 have exactly the same text! Except the sederunt in JC2/10 doesn't say that the trial happened in Dalkeith. Also found in the High Court Record Index, no. 1 for 3/8/1661, this index did not distinguish between circuit and high court cases. This list of names was added in the margins with a modern hand, no indication of where the person got the list.
High Court Process Notes JC26/27/9 item 1 None
High Court Process Notes JC26/27/9 item 4 and item 5 draft of JC2 trial. Item 5, I think is a continuation of item 4.
High Court Process Notes JC26/27/9 item 10 None
High Court Process Notes JC26/27/9 item 13 None
High Court Process Notes JC26/27/9 item 20 Witnesses, bad handwriting, mostly repeat of information in other documents. Seems to be a draft of the Books of Adjournal text.