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/785 Jonet Miller

name of accused
Jonet Miller
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/EGD/774
Case date start
22/4/1656
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

  • unorthodox religious practise (secondary characteristic)
  • demonic (secondary characteristic)
  • folk healing (secondary characteristic)
  • folk healing (primary characteristic)
  • white magic (secondary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
No specific details about Miller but according to Dumfries presbytery records it appears she was noted as a 'witch woman' but seems to have given advice about folk healing. Her draft dittay shows that she was a recognised healer who travelled far and wide. Her witchcraft reputation seems to have come from failed healing attempts and because she told people to keep her cures from the ministers. Lots of fairry stuff. The church and others might have been threatened by her advice to her patients to keep her cures a secret. This may have lead people to believe that what she was doing was wrong?
additional persons
name involvement notes
no additional persons recorded

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
Says she convenit [convened] with the Devil in her dream. She confessed to having a familiar, but it was not described as an an animal and it could have been a familiar spirit? She claimed that the Devil gave her power to heal. After her husband, [died?] she worried about her livelihood that is when the Devil came to her. The Devil allowed her to hear the threatenings of other witches and see the diseases at great distance.
  • Male as her husband
  • Male a man of midle stature 40 years old, flaxen hair

Demonic pacts

  • Anti-baptism while drinking to him
  • Paction
  • Devil's Mark back
  • Servant
  • Want nothing

witches meetings

Notes
None

Meeting places

  • no information

musical instruments

  • no information

Folk culture

  • Specific Verbal Formulae
  • Specific ritual acts
  • Unorthodox religious practice
  • Sympathetic magic
Notes
Foxtree leaves (foxglove) used to cure sickness. The consulter was told to take her mother to a certain place, wash her and use foxtree leaves, and leave the sickness at the place where she got it. She diagnosed an illness as possibly related to the fairries having taken his tongue, if this was true she could be no help to him. But he should try foxtree leaves and S. running water. She gripped a child and told them to keep it close and away from the minister. Diagnosed a child with 'Ferrie blast'. She did a cure where the victim had to sit between three fires. A ritual with smoke and fire to get a man out of a witch's grip. Again told to keep it close especially from the minister. Advised to keep the bible near for a cure for distempter. She said a man became ill after digging up a thorn tree. She diagnosed bewitchings as caused by Kirkcudbright and Dumfries witches (told the victims to get 3 stopings of straw from the witches' roof and burn them).

Counter strategies

  • Prayer
  • Counter-magic

white magic

  • Prophesy

Elf/fairy elements

  • Thorn Tree
  • Fairy Blast

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • Plant
  • Salve
  • Water
  • Fire
  • Smoke
  • Belt
  • Straw

Religious motif

  • Prayer
  • Three
  • Bible

Calendar customs

  • no information

Diseases or illness

  • Transferring disease
  • Rec. healer
  • Healing humans
  • Healing animals
Notes
She denied doing any malefice, but said she could 'take off' diseases (i.e. cure). Healing ritual recorded in Dumfries presbytery records. She advised taking sick person to the place they got illness and carry out ritual in order to cure them.

Cause of witch's malice

  • None

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
Circuit Court Books JC10/1 fo. 217v-219r,223v, 236v None
Dumfries Presbytery records CH2/1284/1, p 122. Reference to the accused being consulted by 2 people from Dumfries presbytery for healing. They were referred to their own kirk sessions to be rebuked as consulters.
Process Notes JC26/24 None
Process Notes JC26/25 None
None None McDowall, W 'History of the burgh of Dumfries' (Edinburgh, 1867), p. 375. The project did not check Larner's reference to this printed secondary source as part of the research