Trial Details
T/LA/1075 Mary Cunningham
- Name of the accused
- Mary Cunningham
- Associated case
- C/EGD/1295 (4/2/1645)
- Trial process type
- Local Court
| associated trials | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trial reference | accused | trial type | trial year | trial place |
| no recorded trials | ||||
Pre-trial actions
| commissions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| commission body | type | date | seal | notes |
| Privy Council | None | 6/12/1644 | None | local commissioners did not trust the procurator fiscal to handle the case and asked that it be tried by the lord advocate, who agreed. |
| Committee of Estates | Justiciary | None | None | a commission of some kind was presented to the bailies of Culross. |
| previous commissions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| commission body | date | |||
| no recorded prior commission | ||||
| appeals | ||
|---|---|---|
| central authority | reason | appeal date |
| no recorded appeals | ||
| complaints | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| type | date of complaint | lodged at | appeal date | complainent | involvement |
| Suspect's | 6/8/1644 | Privy Council | |||
| move to higher legal authority | |
|---|---|
| moved to | date of move |
| no recorded move to higher legal authority | |
| denunciations | |
|---|---|
| denuncation date | dated |
| no recorded denunciations | |
| imprisonments | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| incarceration date | central trial imprison | prison | location | moving |
| None | no | Tolbooth | Culross | no |
| 12/12/1644 | no | Tolbooth | Canongate | no |
| tortures | |
|---|---|
| date of torture | torture type |
| None | Irons |
| ordeals | |
|---|---|
| date of ordeal | ordeal type |
| None | Searching |
| confessions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| central trial confession | date | location | notes |
| no recorded confessions | |||
other information
- Pre-trial notes
- She was ordered to pay for her imprisonment in Culross, and her transportation to Edinburgh/Canongate. She managed to get someone to authorise her release on caution and the charges seem to have dropped for over a year. 4/2/1645 the commissioners tried to reactivate her case under the lord advocate. A rather harrowing description of how they were investigated and treated in prison.
- watched?
- no
- watch date
- no information
- arrested?
- yes
- arrest date
- no information
- fled?
- no
- date absconded
- no information
- action dropped?
- no
- action dropped date
- no information
- action dropped by
- no information
- trial action body
- no information
- confronting suspects?
- no
Trial phase
- trial date
- 28/8/1644
- trial place
- no information
place of trial
- settlement
- no information
- parish
- P/ST/629
- presbytery
- Dunfermline
- county
- Fife
- burgh
- Culross
verdict
- verdict
- Not Proven
- defence
- yes
- female accusers
- 0
- male accusers
- 0
- recorded as high status?
- no
- order for central judiciary trial
- no
- judiciary trial date
- no information
- circuit court (mixed central and local)
- no
- circuit name
- no information
- local court with central representatives
- no
- trial notes
- It is difficult to determine exactly what happened. She appears to have been tried in Culross, then moved to Edinburgh where the Lord Advocate maybe oversaw her trial.
| persons associated with the trial | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| name | title | office | occupation | involvement | witchpricker? | notes |
| David Williamson | Mr | None | advocate | Defence | no | Involved in trials in 1644-5. |
| David Moir | None | Procurator | None | Prosecutor | no | Involved in trials in 1644-5. |
Post-trial phase
- sentence
- no information
- executed?
- no
- execution date
- no information
- execution place
- no information
- execution method
- no information
- post trial notes
- None
| other named witches | ||
|---|---|---|
| name | trial link | accused link |
| no recorded named witches | ||
Mentioned as a witch
| mentioned as a witch | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| type | name | mention date | fate | linked trialdate | trial link | notes |
| no mentions | ||||||