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/575 Thomas Weir

name of accused
Thomas Weir
designated title
Major
Accused Reference
A/EGD/564
Case date start
no information
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

Characterisation Notes
He was not accused of witchcraft at his High Court trial, but commentators after his death described him as a witch.
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
Have not found evidence that he was actually tried for witchcraft. He seems to have been tried for incest, adultery and beastiality. His sister was tried for withcraft, however. Larner has transcribed a description of his life and death from The Fraser Manuscript, p. 307-312 in the National Library of Scotland, called 'a Collection of Providential Passages Antient and Modern Forreign and Domestick', dated 1670. He is described as a warlock in this document - and there are vivid descriptions of his arrest and strange happenings with his possessions (his staff and two clouts that made dancing rings when burned).
references
name notes
None None JC 2/13 - this reference was to his trial, but he was not accused of witchcraft in his trial, just incest. Larner et al.'s Sourcebook transcribed a contemporary description of his execution.