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/3246 Margrat NcWilliam

name of accused
Margrat NcWilliam
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/JO/3084
Case date start
1649
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)
  • maleficium (primary characteristic)
  • Implicated by another (secondary characteristic)
  • neighbourhood dispute (secondary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
None

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes
3 marks found. Said she refused to go with the devil but he grabbed her left leg. Third time she agreed and he put his mouth on her sore and healed it. She gave him a hen or a cock as a gift. Said at the time that she was in great poverty the devil promised to help but in return she was to give him her son. He gave her an elfshot to use on her son who died 10 days later.
  • Animal Devil little brown dog
  • Male well favoured young man
  • Animal Devil cat

Demonic pacts

  • Devil's Mark leflt leg, between her shoulders, up her 'hensh'
  • Servant
  • Want nothing
  • Anti-baptism

witches meetings

  • Devil present
Notes
None

Meeting places

  • Faldtombuie Field
  • Caleyaird Yard
  • Kilmory Hilltop

musical instruments

  • no information

Folk culture

  • Elphane or Fairyland
  • Specific Verbal Formulae
  • Specific ritual acts
Notes
One report said she was seen to go round cows several times. Lifted up her curcheffe and cursed to cause harm. Said she knew a charm in Gaelic to cure the evil eye.

Counter strategies

  • Appeasement

white magic

  • no information

Elf/fairy elements

  • Elfshot

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • no information

Religious motif

  • no information

Calendar customs

  • no information

Diseases or illness

  • Human illness
  • Human death
  • Animal illness
  • Animal death
  • Laying on
  • Cursing
Notes
Claim that she caused a horse and man to fall ill after an argument. Also a child of the man died suddenly. She cursed a man who threatened to poind her daughter for a debt.

Cause of witch's malice

  • Revenge

Other maleficia

  • Property damage

    • Damage to property

    • Dairy
    • Crops

    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
    Highland Papers Vol III, pp 10, 13-20, 24-30. Also named in another person's confession.
    RPC 3rd series, vol I, p 208. None