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/LA/3054 Kathareen Manson

name of accused
Kathareen Manson
designated title
no information
Accused Reference
A/LA/2912
Case date start
18/3/1660
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)
  • not enough information (secondary characteristic)
  • not enough information (primary characteristic)
Characterisation Notes
Marwick's notes do not provide solid enough evidence on which to base a primary characterisation.
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

  • Specific Verbal Formulae
  • Specific ritual acts
  • Sympathetic magic
Notes
Used a wresting thread to cure a wrested cow. Was paid 40 pennies for a cure. Made a charm out of something like ground salt put into a cloute and put onto a cow's back. A blue thread around a man's waist. Worm grass for curing the worm. Fasting and meat eating.

Counter strategies

  • no information

white magic

  • no information

Elf/fairy elements

  • no information

Shape-changing

  • no information

Ritual objects

  • Thread
  • Salt
  • Cloth
  • Herb

Religious motif

  • no information

Calendar customs

  • no information

Diseases or illness

  • Healing humans
  • Healing animals
Notes
Suspected of working with another woman to destroy the Laird of Halcrowe who was oppressing the people.

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
She was questioned by the kirk session repeatedly over the course of 15 years for charming and witchcraft. But they never seem to have formally charged her.
references
name notes
Marwick Collection D31/4/3 His notes on primary documents that aren't held in Orkney. He found the info in Church Life in South Ranaldsay and Burray.
Marwick Collection D31/1/2/8 transcription of her appearance in front of the burrik session. From a printed primary, Church Life in South Ronaldsay and Burray in the Seventeenth Century, by Rev. J.B. Craven (Kirkwall, 1911), pp. 30-31, 48, 49