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/LA/2894 William Sympsoune

name of accused
William Sympsoune
designated title
Mr.
Accused Reference
A/LA/2776
Case date start
no information
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

  • Implicated by another (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
He was described as a doctor of medicine. Although there is a lot of information about him, it is all from the trial of Alesoun Pierson, not from his own trial. Therefore the characterisation has to be implicated by another witch, but some detail is provided in the notes fields.
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
According to Alison Pierson his father was the king's smith. He was taken away from his father by one man of Egypt, one gyant, while he was a bairn. He lived their for 12 years. His father supposedly died because he opened a 'preist-buik' and looked at it. Perhaps Pierson was learning from him while she lived with him at the age of 12. The fairies told Pierson that Sympsoune was one of them. Pitcairn quotes the 'Legend of the Bischop of St. Androis' for his case. He told Pierson that he had been carried away (out of middle earth) with the Fairies and that when a whirlwind was heard that was them. Mention of a tithe to hell.

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

Notes
He supposedly cured Pierson when she lost the power of her hand and foot.

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
Pitcairn v I, part ii, p. 162 see also JC2/2 in Pierson's trial (c/egd/34).