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/3060 Marion McNab

name of accused
Marion McNab
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/JO/2922
Case date start
21/7/1590
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

  • folk healing (secondary characteristic)
  • maleficium (secondary characteristic)
  • neighbourhood dispute (secondary characteristic)
  • neighbourhood dispute (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
The accusations all came from one other woman, although both accused and accuser produced lots of witnesses, and relate to something to do with giving the other woman malt to make her husband's malt improve but not sure if it worked. McNab herself later confessed to knowing how to make a cow accept a calf that did not belong to her. Characterised as neighbourhood dispute since this was the accuser's main reason.
additional persons
name involvement notes
no additional persons recorded

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

  • Healing animals
Notes
Confessed that she knew how to make a cow accept another calf. Put the skin of the dead calf onto the other calf before the cow licked it. This is a common enough agricultural practice. Presbytery seem to have thought it might be witchcraft.

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
Stirling Presbytery records CH2/722/2. No pagination.