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/JO/3046 Barbara Bowndie

name of accused
Barbara Bowndie
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/JO/2909
Case date start
3/11/1643
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
None

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
Said the devil appeared in several diverse shapes
  • Male man
  • None

Demonic pacts

  • Servant

witches meetings

  • Dancing
Notes
She later denied that she had attended the meeting and dancing at Muness. Her stories seem to have got confused as she later retracted most of it and claimed she had been urged to name others

Meeting places

  • Links of Muness Links

musical instruments

  • no information

Folk culture

Notes
Her statement said that she had been speechless for 1 day and people had said she had been taken by the fairies, she denied this. She denied that she was able to identify other witches.

Counter strategies

  • no information

white magic

  • no information

Elf/fairy elements

  • Group of fairies

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
Orkney Presbytery Records CH2/1082/1, pp. 250, 252, 254, 258, 278. None
Marwick Collection D31/4/4 Orkney archives.