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/JO/3036 Beatrix Robbie

name of accused
Beatrix Robbie
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/JO/2899
Case date start
5/4/1597
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)
  • maleficium (secondary characteristic)
  • Implicated by another (secondary characteristic)
  • Implicated by others (primary characteristic)
  • white magic (secondary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
None

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
None
  • no information

Demonic pacts

  • no information

witches meetings

Notes
meeting the same as several others which were ascribed to Margaret Bane. There does not appear to be any evidence from Robbie about the meetings. Bane claimed Robbie went with her mother and they all dacned round the grey stone.

Meeting places

  • no information

musical instruments

  • no information

Folk culture

  • Specific ritual acts
  • Sympathetic magic
Notes
Accused of having caused the death of a woman by giving her some mutton that Robbie and her mother (Margaret Og) had bewitched. Also accused of having carried out a special ritual (?protective) with her mother. They threw a knife 3 times over a cow while it was at the bull ?to ensure a fertile union.

Counter strategies

  • no information

white magic

  • Protective

Elf/fairy elements

  • no information

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • Meal
  • Knife

Religious motif

  • no information

Calendar customs

  • Halloween

Diseases or illness

  • Human illness
  • Human death
Notes
Accused of having aider her mother bewitch and cause the death of Lady Auchinhuiff by giving her some mutton that was bewitched,

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
Spalding Club Miscellany Vol I, pp. 152-3, 155-6. None