Survey of Scottish Witchcraft, 1563 - 1736

Goodare, Julian; Yeoman, Louise; Martin, Lauren; Miller, Joyce

Case Details

C/EGD/2446 Janet Cornfoot

name of accused: Janet Cornfoot
designated title: no information
Accused Reference: A/EGD/2371
Case date start: 13/6/1704
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)
demonic possesion (secondary characteristic)
maleficium (secondary characteristic)
maleficium (primary characteristic)
Implicated by another (secondary characteristic)

Characterisation Notes: None

additional persons
name	involvement	notes
William Bell	Investigator
John Anderson	Investigator
James Hadow	Investigator
William Hardie	Investigator
Robert Cleland	Investigator
James Chalmers	Investigator
Andrew Burn	Investigator
None Giblistoun	Investigator
None Duddingston	Investigator
None Lundine	Investigator

linked trials
name	trial type	link	year	notes
Janet Cornfoot	Mixed Central/Local Court	T/JO/1696	None
Janet Cornfoot	Mentioned in trial	T/JO/1701	None

Qualitative information

Non-natural beings

Notes: None

no information

Demonic pacts

Anti-baptism
Paction

witches meetings

Witches meeting
Devil present

Notes: Cornfoot confessed that she met other witches at the Loan. Later (?)renounced some of her confession

Meeting places

Pittenweem Loan
Laigh Tolbooth Tolbooth

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

Human illness

Notes: Accused of causing a young boy to take fits.

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: One of several women accused of tormenting a local lad, Patrick Morton. This is another possession case. A group of seven people were charged with causing the tormenting of Patrick Morton, the sixteen year old son of a smith in Pittenweem. The town officials cited the precedent of 'Bargarran's daughter in the west' when applying for a commission for trial. The Privy Council appointed Her Majesty's Advocate, Sir James Stewart to prosecute the cases and the Privy Council said they would pay for it from the treasury. In 1705 she was eventually killed by an angry mob of men. They beat her and she was found nearly dead in the Sea Mark, then the bailies tried to save her. She was taken again and crushed to death under a door covered with stones. The Privy Council ordered all those involved brought to the tolbooth in Edinburgh and the magistrates charged with failure to keep the peace.

references
name	notes
St Andrews Presbytery records CH2/1131/ 1699-1705, pp 293-332.	G. 403 The presbytery volume has no NAS catalogue number yet.
Privy Council PC1/53 p. 247-9	None
Privy Council PC1/53 p. 358-9	None