CLAN CARRUTHERS – 13 SCARIEST PLACES IN CARRUTHERSLAND SCOTLAND

THE 13 SCARIEST PLACES IN CARRUTHERSLAND

 

1. Glenluce Abbey

J Maxwell Wood wrote of a spine-chilling tale, current in 1911, of a man whose bold ways pushed him over the edge. Apparently, he uncovered the skeleton of 13th century wizard and alchemist Michael Scot. Scot reputedly lived at the Abbey and legend has it that he was buried there along with his collection of alchemical books.

 

 

Apparently the man was confronted by the shocking sight of Scot’s upright skeleton, the impact of which drove him mad. During his time at the Abbey, Scot purportedly cast spells to lure the plague inside before walling it up…

 

 

 

 

 

2. Dunskey Castle

The brooding clifftop setting of Dunskey Castle gives off a wild, remote and rugged feel.

Built by the Adairs of Kilhilt, Dunskey is a large 16th century tower house consisting of four storeys and features a vaulted basement and three cellars, one of which was used for wine.

There was once an older fortification on this spot but it was burnt down as an act of vengeance. One grim event concerns the Abbot of Soulseat Abbey, who was imprisoned and tortured in the castle. Dunskey is said to have a brownie, (a creature of legend in Scottish folklore) and is haunted by a nurse maid who allegedly dropped her charge from one of the windows onto the beach far below. Is it a sense of guilt that won’t let her rest?

 

 

 

 

 

3. Ringcroft of Stocking

There is a mysterious legend concerning one of the most baffling and well recorded occurrences of poltergeist activity in Scotland.

The legend concerns a wiry and skeletal tree, the last that remains of a small wood marking the old Ringcroft of Stocking, a farm tenanted by Andrew Mackie in 1695.

It is said that when the last ‘Ghost Tree’ falls, the poltergeist will return.  During those terrifying months in 1695, Mackie’s family were attacked by unseen hands, stones pelted and fires raised. A strange apparition of a boy was witnessed and it was suggested that witchcraft might be to blame for their grave misfortune.

The Reverend Alexander Telfair was called in to help and carefully documented the events complete with witness statements from a range of locals. We can only hope the tree remains in good health for many years to come…

 

 

 

4. The A75 Ghost Road

Renowned the world over as a paranormal hotspot, the A75, which runs from Gretna in the east to Stranraer in the west, is believed to be the most haunted road in Scotland.

There are two key areas on Scotland’s Ghost Road where haunting activity is at its most frequent.

One stretch is located on the old A75 which runs from Annan to Gretna via Eastriggs; the other is a wide, straight section of road known as the Kinmount Straight.

Eyeless spectres have been reported along with a grinning creature in the trees, a bodiless pair of legs and multitude of phantom hitchhikers. Perhaps the road’s most famous incident occurred in the early 1960s when the Ferguson brothers witnessed all manner of weird apparitions; from a hen flying at their windscreen to ‘great cats, wild dogs, goats, more hens and other fowl, and stranger creatures’.

In more recent times, an elderly man in tweeds has been seen standing by the old Kinmount bus shelter.

 

 

 

 

5. Kirkmadrine Church

Approached from a bonnie woodland pathway, Kirkmadrine Church is a deeply spiritual site; it is here that a collection of ancient Christian stones are housed, the oldest outside of Whithorn.

The current church replaced a medieval building and the stones, including a memorial to Bishops Ides, Viventius and Mavorius, date from around 450 AD, can be viewed through a glass panel.

The church is surrounded by a graveyard with some interesting historic grave markers. Visitors to this otherworldly place report being suddenly spooked by an unseen presence and the eerie sense of being watched…

 

 

 

 

6. Lochmaben Castle

The crumbling ruins of Lochmaben Castle are bordered by Castle Loch, a vibrant haven for wildlife. Now extremely ruinous, this once powerful fortress has witnessed its fair share of bloodshed.

Parts of the castle date back to the 13th century,  home of Capt John Carruthers,  and it boasts a picturesque double archway which still stands today. Lochmaben Castle and its surrounding woods are thought to be haunted.

More on Capt John Carruthers and the Royal Castle of Lochmaben: https://carrothersclan.wordpress.com/tag/john-carruthers/

People have heard drumming sounds and the unmistakable click of horse’s hooves.

However it’s not just ghosts that are said to linger at the castle; reports concern a strange nocturnal creature described by one key witness as a ‘vampire’. There is in fact a vampire legend dating back to the 12th century – some people believe it relates to the powerful Bruce clan and that a family member was bitten by this ravenous revenant!

 

 

 

 

7. Threave Castle

The much-photographed Threave Castle sits amidst an island in the River Dee; a powerful contrast between romantic scenery and imposing fortress.

The 14th century keep emits a sense of foreboding and internally, the dank tomb of the pit-prison gives a flavour of darker times.

Built by Archibald the Grim, (a name given due to his ghastly grimace during battle), Threave witnessed the beheading of Sir Patrick MacLellan of Bombie. It was also linked to the infamous Black Dinner when William, sixth Earl of Douglas and his brother David, set out from Threave for Edinburgh Castle where they were brutally executed.

One disturbing feature of the castle is its historic Gallows Knob; the Douglases once boasted it was never without a tassel! Some visitors to the castle report unexplained breathing noises, feeling ill at ease and voices with no apparent cause…

More on the Carruthers at Threave Castle:  https://carrothersclan.wordpress.com/2019/06/28/how-the-carruthers-obtained-threave-castle/

 

 

 

 

 

8. Spedlins Tower or Jardine Hall

Spedlins is a massive 15th century tower house said to be haunted by unfortunate miller, James ‘Dunty’ Porteous, who met a horrifying end in the castle dungeon. Having crossed words with Sir Alexander Jardine, who owned Spedlins in 1650, James was thrown into the pit-prison, known as ‘The Little Ease’ where his last days would be drawn out in the agonies of starvation.

Sir Alexander had to rush off urgently to Edinburgh and forgot to leave the dungeon key with his servants, only realising once he’d arrived in the Capital. Unfortunately his courier arrived back at Spedlins too late and discovered Porteous dead; some say that in desperation, he’d gnawed at his own hands and feet. Dunty’s restless spirit returned to haunt the Jardine Clan; moaning and groaning was heard and at one point he threw Sir Alexander Jardine and his wife out of bed!

The only way they could pacify him was by storing the large black family bible in a recess near the prison…

 

 

 

 

9. Theatre Royal, Dumfries

The beautiful Theatre Royal opened its doors to the public for the very first time on September 29th 1792 and is now Scotland’s oldest working Theatre.

Among those who have treaded the boards at this magnificent historic gem are J.M. Barrie and John Laurie and of course, the great Bard Robert Burns has strong connections – he was one of the subscribers to build a theatre here in Dumfries.

With powerful emotions come deep imprints and it would seem that the theatre has many old ghosts within its walls.

A lady in green is said to haunt the theatre; opera singing has been heard and the bizarre legend of a woman falling from the balcony and killing herself and another gentleman is told to this day.

One staircase is particularly eerie and people using it prefer to get up and down as quickly as possible!

 

 

 

 

10. Carnsalloch House

In its current decrepit state, Carnsalloch is the classic vision of a haunted house; broken, derelict and creepy. But there is far more to this fascinating mansion than an empty shell.

Dating back to the 12th century, the ancient lands of Carnsalloch were once linked to the Knights Templars. There followed hundreds of years of Maxwell ownership before London chemist Alexander Johnston built the existing mansion, a fine Palladian villa, in 1759.

Carnsalloch once housed a Leonard Cheshire Care Home and now stands forlorn with a somewhat uncertain future.

A ghostly Pink Lady has been witnessed along with reports of a headless horseman said to ride the drive.

Visitors report thundering horse’s hooves, uncanny feelings and a strong sense of foreboding emanating from the grounds…

 

 

 

 

11. Corsock Moor

The wild and remote moorlands near Corsock are just the sort of place you’d expect to find a ghost.

Many years ago, as darkness fell, a drover arrived at Corsock Hill. The weather took a turn for the worse and a dramatic storm erupted. As the lightning cut the sky with vivid shards of light, the drover sought shelter in a hedge. A little later, he headed back out and his dog started behaving in a curious manner.

The drover looked for an explanation and shortly after, heard the skirl of pipes carrying towards him on the wind. The piping became wilder and the wee dog scurried closer to his master. In a sudden flash of blue light, the piper appeared before him playing as if possessed – he was headless! More thunderous claps ended the strange incident and the drover was later told he’d seen the spirit of a murdered piper from Patiesthorn.

So how did he play the pipes? Your guess is as good as mine!

 

 

 

 

12. Buckland Bridge

Buckland Glen near Kirkcudbright is purportedly haunted by the ghost of a headless woman.

Once upon a time, a farmer from Monkland was travelling home to Kirkcudbright with a young farm hand. Around the stroke of midnight; he approached the small bridge over Buckland Burn. After crossing it, his pony suddenly took fright nearly hurling the stunned farmer from his saddle. The boy who was accompanying him spotted something close-by – the farmer confirmed it was none other than the headless woman – they took an alternative route home!

The story goes she was murdered in the Glen but returned to do a good deed. They later heard some men were hiding in the Glen waiting to rob the farmer – had the lady not warned them, we can only shudder at what might have happened…

 

 

 

 

 

13. Site of old Buccleuch Street Prison, Dumfries

When you consider the old prison site in Buccleuch Street witnessed both the last public execution of a man and woman in Scotland, you might not be surprised to learn these dark events seem to have left a trace.

Visitors to the rear of the building report a heavy atmosphere along with breathing sounds, ethereal hand-holding and mysterious lights appearing during stories of its grim past.

The prison was demolished many years ago to make way for the Clydesdale Bank during which time bones of the executed were unearthed. Could the sickening anticipation of death still resonate long after those hanged there have turned to dust?

 

GHOSTLY GROUP IN DUMFRIES

 

Mostly Ghostly Investigations are Dumfries and Galloway’s first paranormal investigation team and creators of a range of well-researched ghost and local history tours

 

The Mostly Ghostly Investigations Team

Mostly Ghostly Investigations have a determination to explore and investigate the unknown.

While exploring innovative ways to fund their research visits, they had the idea of developing a ghost walk for Dumfries. The team have since developed and diversified, creating a number of exciting tours showcasing elements unique to our region.

Their philosophy is that a good story well told needs little in the way of artistic license; each event takes months of careful research to create a truly authentic experience.

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NEIL CARRUTHERS SCOTLAND

CLAN CARRUTHERS INT SOCIETY CCIS HISTORIAN AND GENEALOGIST

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CLAN CARRUTHERS CCIS – DEATH OF MALCOLM IV – KING OF SCOTLAND – CARRUTHERS ANCESTORS

DEATH OF MALCOLM IV

KING OF SCOTLAND

CARRUTHERS ANCESTOR

09 December of 1165 saw the death of Malcolm IV, King of Scotland, Carruthers ancestor. The eldest son of David I, Malcolm had been King since 1153, when he succeeded his grandfather at the age of 12. The accession of the boy king had then led to upheavals in the kingdom, and the resurfacing of old enmities; from rebellions in Moray and Galloway to Henry II of England deciding to reclaim the English counties of Northumberland, Cumberland and Westmoreland.

Nicknamed ‘the Maiden’ because of his youth and unmarried status, Malcolm died at Jedburgh, aged 23, and was succeeded by his younger brother William I, ‘the Lion’Carruthers ancestor.

Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, or Malcolm Cenn Mor (Canmore), was born in 1031 to Duncan I, King of Scotland and Sybilla of Northumbria.* “Canmore” was an anglicised form of Ceann Mór which has been variously translated as “big head” or, more flatteringly, “great head” or “chief”. Malcolm was the first King of the House of Dunkeld, or House of Canmore, that was to rule Scotland for the next 250 years.

Unlike his portrayal in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, at the time of Duncan’s murder at the hands of his uncles, Macbeth and Thorfinn Sigurdsson in 1040, Malcolm and his brother Donalbane were children. They were sent away for their safety, exactly where is a subject of debate, but it is generally accepted they were sent to kinsman on his mother’s side, possibly Earl Siward Biornsson of Northumbria. While Malcolm’s family did attempt to overthrow Macbeth in 1045, the attempt failed and resulted in his grandfather, Crínán of Dunkeld, being killed.  ( Everyone mentioned are all Carruthers Ancestors)

The years in between the death of Duncan and the securing of his heirs of course are too involved to include, and for every one account or any mention of him there are three others to contradict it, thus to try and include them would be moot and lengthly.

By 1053, with military support from King Edward the Confessor of England, Malcolm invaded southern Scotland, where considerable support from nobles in Lothian had been waiting for his return. On 15 August 1057 Malcolm met Macbeth at the Battle of Lumphanan, in Aberdeenshire, and Macbeth was killed, but the crown was not captured, as Macbeth’s step son Lulach, a great grandson of Kenneth III, succeeded him. It was six months later on March 17,1058 that Malcolm would confront and kill Lulach, becoming Malcolm III, with his coronation at Scone, as mentioned, a month later on 25 April 1058.

If Orderic Vitalis** is to be relied upon, one of Malcolm’s earliest actions as king was to travel in 1059 south to the court of Edward the Confessor. As part of his agreement in procuring military support he was to have been committed in an arranged marriage to Edward’s kinswoman Margaret, who had arrived in England two years before from Hungary. If indeed he did visit the English court, he would have been the first reigning king of Scots to do so in more than eighty years and if a marriage agreement was made in 1059, it was not kept. *** Malcolm’s first wife was Ingibjörg, the daughter of Thorfinn Sigurdsson, the Earl of Orkney and her mother’s father was a brother of the Norwegian kings St. Olav (Olav Haraldsson) and Harald Hardråde (Harold Hardrada). Together they would have three sons, Donnchad (Duncan); Domnall (Donald); and Máel Coluim (Malcolm), before her death in 1069.

Memorial cross said to mark the spot where King Malcolm III of Scotland was killed while besieging Alnwick Castle in 1093.

Malcolm’s kingdom did not extend over the full territory of modern Scotland, with the north and west of Scotland remaining in Scandinavian, Norse-Gael and Gaelic control. The areas under the control of the Kings of Scots did not advance much beyond the limits set by Malcolm II until the 12th century although Malcolm III fought a succession of wars against the Kingdom of England, which may have had as their goal the conquest of the English earldom of Northumbria.

Malcolm’s main achievement is to have continued a line which would rule Scotland for many years, by founding the dynasty of the House of Canmore ,which lasted 200 years, until the House of Stewart. Malcolm, himself, would reign for 35 years, an impressive accomplishment in itself, given the times.

Following Ingebjørg’s death he married Margaret of Wessex,**** the sister of Edgar Atheling, ***** who had fled to Scotland with her brother after William I excluded him from the English succession. Margaret’s impact was dramatic. A Roman Catholic, brought Benedictine monks to establish an abbey at Dunfermline. Margaret introduced English customs, church procedures and the English into the Scottish court and never learned Gaelic, which was spoken by a substantial number of Scots at that time. Malcolm therefore decreed that the language used at court should be Anglo-Saxon rather than Gaelic, allowing her to feel more at home. Malcolm and Margaret would ultimately have eight children; Edward, Edmund, Ethelred, Edgar, Alexander, David, Edith (or Matilda) and Mary. By comparing the Gaelic names of the three children from Malcolm’s first marriage and the absence of any Gaelic names among the eight from his second, one can perhaps glean the extent of Margaret’s influence on not only the future of the Scottish crown, but on the most intrinsic aspects of Scottish culture itself. The naming of their children represented a break with traditional Scots regal names such as Malcolm, Cináed and Áed.

At this point in time, approximately 1070, (the time of Malcolm’s marriage,) the Norman conquests of England had the King’s interest and he was of a mind to take advantage of the disruption caused by them to further Scotland’s interests as well as to place the “rightful” Anglo-Saxon heir, his brother in law Edgar the Atheling, on the English throne.

Malcolm’s repeated invasions of northern England were driven back by William I, and ultimately, in 1071 Malcolm was forced by William to sign the Treaty of Abernethy. A significant document, this alone provided a basis for later claims of dominance of the English throne over the Scottish throne, and also a caveat, Malcolm was required to serve up his eldest son, Duncan, as a hostage against future good conduct. Regardless, Malcolm still made two more raids into England in 1079 and 1091, again unsuccessful. In 1093, after the Scots lost their hold on Cumbria, Malcolm led a final incursion.

His son Duncan, by this time, had been released upon the succession of William I by William II and Malcolm, alongside his son and heir Edward, launched a battle at Alnwick. It was here, 13 November , that he met with fatal results and died in battle. His son and heir Edward died in the same battle and Queen Margaret died in Edinburgh Castle, three days later on 16 November .

Upon his death, Malcolm was succeeded by the joint rule of his brother, Donald III, and his second son by Margaret, Edmund. Malcolm was initially buried at Tynemouth Priory, but in 1115, in the reign of his son Alexander, he was exhumed and reburied in Dunfermline Abbey, next to Margaret.******

In later years, their son, King David I, would build a small church within Edinburgh Castle dedicated to her memory. She was canonised in 1249, becoming Scotland’s only royal saint and St. Margaret’s Chapel is now the oldest building in the castle.

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*According to some accounts Malcolm’s mother was a niece of Siward, Earl of Northumbria, but an earlier king-list gives her the Gaelic name Suthen. Other sources claim that either a daughter or niece would have been too young to fit the timeline, thus the likely relative would have been Siward’s own sister Sybil, which may have translated into Gaelic as Suthen.

**Orderic Vitalis was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England

***and this may explain the Scots invasion of Northumbria in 1061 when Lindisfarne was plundered; equally, Malcolm’s raids in Northumbria may have been related to the disputed “Kingdom of the Cumbrians”, reestablished by Earl Siward in 1054, (which would be under Malcolm’s control by 1070)

****The married life of Malcolm III and Margaret has been the subject of two historical novels: A Goodly Pearl (1905) by Mary H. Debenham, and Malcolm Canmore’s Pearl (1907) by Agnes Grant Hay. Both focus on court life in Dunfermline, and the Margaret helping introduce Anglo-Saxon culture in Scotland. The latter novel covers events to 1093, ending with Malcolm’s death.

*****Edgar would have become King of England if William the Conqueror from Normandy had not over-run the country. By this marriage there were six sons, three of whom (Edgar, Alexander and David) would become king.

******This is, in fact, only one of a contradictory and ongoing version. Another version is that on 19 June 1250, following the canonisation of Malcolm’s wife Margaret by Pope Innocent IV, Margaret’s remains were disinterred and placed in a reliquary. The legend is that as the reliquary was carried to the high altar of Dunfermline Abbey, past Malcolm’s grave, it became too heavy to move. As a result, Malcolm’s remains were also disinterred, and buried next to Margaret beside the altar.

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A special note today regarding the tartans.

Tartans featured today are all seven associated with the Clan Malcolm and as such offer an unusual chance to make a point to anyone who is considering buying tartan because, n this case, almost all seven are exceptionally close in weave with very tiny, subtle differences. This often leads many people to be confused but this sometimes happens for different reasons. Sometimes it is because when they were woven, at the time, and registered, they included errors that were eventually fixed and re-registered, or sometimes perhaps one had a bit of a conflict over between the researching, permissions or credits. The point here though is that when you are researching a tartan, and especially if ordering, whether from us or anyone, ask for a sample and compare all. Remember as well your colours are seen on a device which may not be giving them to you as true. If you are planning on wearing it formally to Clan functions, check with your Clan Chief or society if it is indeed the current accepted and correct Clan tartan.

Also, this particular subject today gives a chance to feature a relatively new tartan, a bit of a whimsy on my part to highlight it, the Witches’ Blood tartan. It is an example of a fashion tartan made to commemorate a specific event, in this case, the worldwide celebration of the 400 year anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and inspired by the latest production of Macbeth. All of course are identified in the photographs.

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As always, tartan information is sourced from National Records of Scotland, H.M. General Register House, 2 Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3YY , and some other sources include Index of Famous Scots, Oxford Britannica, Rampant Scotland, Royal Lines of Britain and Wikipedia.

ORIGINAL AND OFFICIALY REGISTERED CLAN CARRUTHERS -1983

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North Berwick Witch Trials

Carruthers Clan International Society

Promptus Et Fidelis

 

 

The witches’ gathering of Halloween 1590 in North Berwick was one of the most infamous gatherings, especially because of the ensuing trials, which sentenced many innocent people to their death, purely for political gain.

 

Edinburgh Castle Esplanade. The Witches’ Fountain was designed by John Duncan for Sir Patrick Geddes in 1894 and erected in 1912, created to commemorate the more than 300 witches that had been tied at the stake, strangled and then burnt between 1492 and 1722 on Castlehill, the rocky outcrop that rises above Edinburgh’s city centre. In all, it is thought that over 4500 “witches” were burnt in Scotland.

North Berwick Harbour. Currently a haven for tourists and boats bringing them to the Bass Rock, this once tidal peninsula formed an important crossing for pilgrims to St Andrews. But on Halloween of 1590, the remains of St Andrew’s Auld Kirk, now situated in front of the Scottish Seabird Centre, provided the backdrop for one of the most notorious witches’ covens.

In short, the story of the witches’ gathering in North Berwick is this: a group of East Lothian men and women, some of them well-respected members of society, had been gathering at various locations in the county. Many of them were interested in herbal medicine, most of them likely gathered purely for social reasons. But after their gathering in North Berwick, on Halloween 1590, they were accused of conspiring to do damage to King James VI during his voyage from Denmark with his new bride, Queen Anne. Indeed, their ship was caught in a terrible tempest and although the royal couple escaped, the storm was blamed on the group of witches that had met in North Berwick.

The key figure in the tragedy was a maidservant from Tranent, Gelie Duncan. She was employed in the house of a wealthy local man, Chamberlain David Seaton. Duncan had an exceptional gift for healing and comforting the sick. In an atmosphere of fear and misgiving, it was not long before her skills aroused suspicion. Some feared that she possessed supernatural powers. Religious zealotry is nothing new and then, as now, some ascribed such powers to the devil. Seaton therefore confronted her and as she could give no satisfactory explanation for her methods of healing, she was tortured.

Duncan stood accused of performing medical wonders with the help of the devil. Seaton used thumbscrews, which were designed to extract quick confessions. When Duncan kept her silence, Seaton had her body examined for marks of the devil, whose signs were identified on the front of her throat. Though a more likely scenario was that Duncan might have had a boyfriend, and that their togetherness left certain traces on her throat, it was instead concluded that she was “bedevilled”.

Eventually, Duncan did confess and was thrown in prison. Her confession showed to everyone that evil forces were indeed afoot in Scotland. Duncan claimed that she was one of 200 witches, who at the behest of the Earl of Bothwell, one of James’s greatest enemies, had tried to overshadow the king. Some of their most extraordinary plotting she said took place in North Berwick. On Halloween, October 31, in 1590, the witches had allegedly sailed to North Berwick and gathered at the Kirk. Among those present were Agnes Sampson, Agnes Thompson, Dr. Fian (who was actually John Cuningham and was named the leader of the group), George Mott’s wife, Robert Gfierson, Janet Blandilands, Ewphame Mecalrean, and Barbara Naper. On a dark and stormy night, the devil appeared to them in the church. Surrounded by black candles dripping with wax, he preached a sermon from the pulpit. While in the churchyard, Duncan herself played a Jew’s harp and the throng danced wildly, singing all the while.

 

Several arrests now followed, each “witness” tortured and then placed on trial. What sets the North Berwick witch trials apart from many other such trials, is that the king took a personal interest in these trials. On November 28, 1590, it was reported that the king himself had questioned some of the witches. It was said that his investigation had led to confessions and betrayal of their “fellowes”, as well as their odious acts. Trials were announced to be held in the near future.

On the surface, the logical answer might be that because the allegations were directly to do with the king’s fate, he took a personal interest, but in retrospect, it is clear that the king wanted to copy social trends that he had witnessed on the continent, and use witchcraft and these trials as a means to a political end.

The king had everyone that Gelie had named brought before him. They were tried and many were convicted, some to death. Among the latter were Agnes Sampson from Humbie and John Fian, a Prestonpans schoolmaster. Euframe MacAlyane’s “real crimes” were that she had asked a midwife to relieve the pains of labour, but as analgesia were condemned, MacAlyane was put to death.

***  We know that 64 people, mostly women were tortured and put to death at the North Berwick Witch Trials.  You may recognize some of these names from your family history.

Elspet Carruthers, Masie Atchison, Margrett Atchinson, Elisabeth Atchison, Janet Campbell, Catherine Campbell, Katherine Carruthers, Nicola Murry    ******

Although not recorded it is generally accepted that many victims died of the injuries that were inflicted upon them during torture.

Some of the implements of torture that were used at the time included the breast ripper. A device that did exactly as it sounds. It consists of 4 pronged levers that would encase the breast of the accused ‘witch’ and then tear it from her chest with a considerable amount of trauma.

 

 

Another device that was used on witches either already tried or awaiting trial was the ‘Scold’s Bridle’. A metal device that fit around the head and had metal protrusions that would slide into the victim’s mouths making it impossible to talk. Sometimes men would use these devices on errant wives who nagged them too often. But they were often used on witches.

Several measures were used to detect witchcraft but you could be accused simply for having red hair, for having an unusual ‘devil’s mark’ or what we would call a birthmark, or for being left-handed. The word sinister actually comes from the Latin ‘sinistra’ which means left. Traditionally older women and those who worked with herbs and medicines or midwives would also be targeted.

Agnes Sampson was taken to Holyrood Palace, where she was interrogated and tortured. On December 7, Agnes Sampson confessed that on October 31, she was one of the witches that convened in North Berwick for a Sabbath. In contemporary correspondence, it reads that “The King ‘by his owne especiall travell’ has drawn Sampson, the great witch, to confess her wicked doings, and to discover sundry things touching his own life, and how the witches sought to have his shirt or other linen for the execution of their charmes. In this Lord Claud and other noblemen are evill spoken of. The witches known number over thirty, and many others accused.” And: “Their actes are filthy, lewde, and phantasticall.” The guilty verdict was based partly on the fact that, “[She] foreknew from Devil the queen would not come to this country unless the king fetched her”.

Duncan herself was burnt as a witch on Castle Hill, and she is therefore one of the 300 witches commemorated by the Witches’ Fountain. But the story of the North Berwick witches as it has come to be known relies primarily on the testimony of the schoolmaster of Prestonpans, who had been identified by all as the leader of the group. Fian was found guilty of being “approached by the devil (dressed in white) while in Thomas Trumbill’s room in Tranent.” Allegedly, the devil persuaded him to burn Trumbill’s house.

Fian’s confession read that the devil had first asked him to deny God and all true religion, secondly to give his faith to the devil and adore him, thirdly that he said to the devil that he should persuade as many as he could to join his society, fourthly that he dismembered the bodies of dead corpses and specially unbaptised children, fifthly that he destroyed men by land and sea with corn, cattle and goods, and raised tempest and stormy weather as the Devil himself, blowing in the air, etc.

No doubt the most impressive act was that while he was lying in his bed at Prestonpans, he let himself be carried to North Berwick church, “where Satan commanded him to make homage with the rest of his servants.” There, as attested by others, Satan spoke from the pulpit. During this sermon, John Fian sat on the left side of the pulpit, nearest to “the devil”. At the end of the sermon, the devil descended and took Fian by the hand and led him about and afterwards made him kiss his “ass”. After coming out of the kirk, Fian stood amongst the graves and allegedly opened three of them, while two dead bodies were dismembered by the women.

Fian pleaded guilty for the bewitching and possessing of Williame Hutsoune in Windiegoull “with an evil spirit”. The evil spirit remained with Hutsoune for 26 weeks, but left as soon as Fian was taken into custody. He confessed that the group went to sea in a boat, accompanied by Satan, with the intent to raise the winds when the king was on his way to Denmark. They also sent a letter to Marioun Linkup in Leith, to that effect, bidding her to meet him and the rest, on the sea, within five days. There, Satan “delivered a cat” out of his hand to Robert Griersoune, saying ‘Cast the same in the see hola!”

Finally, still according to Fian, upon the king’s return from Denmark, Satan promised to raise a mist and wreck the king in England; “he took “a thing like a football”, which to Fian appeared to be a wisp, and cast it in the sea, upon which a vapour and smell rose from it.

 

History tells us that though there was indeed a storm, both king and queen made it safely to Scottish soil. If it occurred, then it is clear that the devil was no match for the Scottish king. But historians dismiss the witchcraft at the Auld Kirk as a total myth: no devil worship ever occurred here and some even go as far as to argue that not even a meeting occurred there that Halloween, that the story was tortured out of the poor servant girl Gelie Duncan. They place the blame firmly with king James VI. As one specialist on James VI has observed: “It is impossible to study the details of this period without realising the extraordinary fear which James had of his cousin [Francis Bothwell]; it was fear with an underlying horror, totally different from his feeling towards his other turbulent subjects.”

The problem of the North Berwick witch trials, however, is that they were political expedient. And that innocent people were tortured and killed for a political, kingly agenda. Walter Ferrier in his history of North Berwick wrote: “King James VI had been spending the summer of 1590 in Denmark, wooing and winning his bride, Princess Anne of Denmark. […] While the king was absent from Scotland, Francis Stuart, Earl of Bothwell, had been leading a conspiracy against him and his bride. […] He had always been something of an enfant terrible and was a convinced believer in the witch’s art. Such as there is in the North Berwick “happening” suggests that Francis was motivated by a desire to get the King and his bride out of the way, believing that he could by witchcraft raise a storm in the estuary of the Forth, thus hopefully to wreck the king’s ship with both its royal occupants as they sailed into home waters.” Though I agree with Ferrier that there was a clear political rivalry, there is no historical information that Bothwell was interested in witchcraft or might have believed that he could raise a storm fierce enough to crash the king’s ship.

 

So who is right? When the trial transcripts and confessions are analysed, it is clear that these people indeed had gathered on a number of occasions that year, like one previous meeting that had been held at Prestonpans. But it is also clear that they did not gather to perform witchcraft. At most, these were the New Agers of their time, people with an interest in herbal medicine, convening to talk about interesting subjects, and like.

Into these gatherings, the trials injected Bothwell. It seems unlikely that Bothwell actually attended, but if he did, it is clear that on Halloween, he was not dressed up as the devil, prancing around the cemetery! Indeed, after the hearings, in which he had condemned all of these people to death, James VI next declared that they were “all extreame lyars”, for he did not get the material he wanted to hear, which was material that would inculpate Bothwell. Bothwell denied any part in the affair and without confessions, the king was powerless to act against Bothwell.

With the North Berwick witch trials, James VI copied behaviour that he had learned abroad. The summer of 1590 had seen a great witch hunt in Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, the home of James VI’s wife. One of the first victims was Anna Koldings, who under pressure divulged the names of five other women. One of them was the wife of the mayor of Copenhagen. They all confessed that they had been guilty of sorcery in raising storms, which menaced Queen Anne’s voyage and that they had sent devils to climb up the keel of her ship. In September, a month before James VI left with his new wife, two women were burnt as witches at Kronborg.

By the end of July 1590, news of the arrests of witches in Denmark was reported in Scotland, and arrests were also held in Edinburgh. “It is advertised from Denmark, that the admirall there hathe caused five or six witches to be taken in Coupnahaven, upon suspicion that by their witche craft they had staied the Queen of Scottes voiage into Scotland, and sought to have staied likewise the King’s retorne.”

The available evidence therefore strongly suggests that the king had a predetermined agenda, in which there “had” to be witches in Scotland, witches that were trying to bring him and his new wife down.

But there was more. The trials were also at the origins of a book on witchcraft that James VI would publish in 1597, a book called “Daemonologie”. Walter Ferrier has also wondered whether there was a connection between the witch trial and James’ doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings, about which the king also wrote. Ferrier wonders whether James VI wanted to chart the “occult powers” that were trying to get his throne. He even goes as far as to suggest that perhaps James VI believed that all the witches’ doings, all his enemies, could not get him from his throne, that he therefore believed that he was favoured by God, and as such was a Divine King, graced by god. In retrospect, it is clear that James VI used lies to boost his own importance, using the lives of innocent people to create the false impression that the Devil himself was out to get him, and that somehow, not even the Devil could oust him from his royal throne.

 

Following the North Berwick witch trials, the records of the Scottish courts started to show increasing numbers of people being accused of witchcraft. In 1597, Janet Stewart of Canongate and Christian Livingston of Leith were accused of casting spells on Thomas Guthry. They were sentenced to be executed on the Castle Hill. The Kirk records of South Leith show many trials occurring in their parish. This included the search for the devil’s mark on bodies by a man from Musselburgh who had a reputation for finding these marks. The usual trial was to find blue or red birthmarks and to burn them with a hot iron or to insert a pin or needle. If the victim felt no pain then they were declared a witch. Suspected people were bled at between the eyes, which was supposed to make a witch powerless. If found guilty, the victim was burned alive. It is apparent that James VI had created a reign of terror, in which anyone could suddenly be accused of being a devil worshipper, based on no evidence whatsoever.

 

Though the North Berwick witch trials are primarily linked with James VI, others have argued that the Reformation had given those who practiced the old Celtic ways an impetus to gather more freely than before, in the mistaken belief that there was now more religious freedom. That turned out to be not the case. Before 1563, witchcraft had been dealt with by the Church, but in 1563, the witchcraft act was passed, and it is this act that would see its first full use in 1590. And history has shown that such a perverse act, whether used by the Church or by the king, will be abused.

King James VI wanted to be both a social example and a legislator. Furthermore, the trials became a method in which the king could dispose of his enemies and portray himself as a more important, powerful figure than he actually was. He became depicted as the “Man the devil had to the fear the most”. For this, however, witches had to suffer, as they had to be portrayed as being in alliance with the devil, against the king.

After their arrest, the “witches” were held in the Tolbooth, on Edinburgh’s lower High Street, where they were tortured and interrogated. At one point during his captivity, John Fian escaped by stealing a key. When he was captured, he was subjected to even more horrific torture. He was executed, after having withdrawn his earlier confession. And is remembered as one of 300 innocent people that were killed for purely political reasons.

From out of the dark and into the light

A circular mark, a candle burns bright.

I look towards the sky, my song I do sing

Spirits soar high and gifts do I bring.

I offer my all, my mind I then clear

Harken my call, I fell you are near.

Candle burns higher, my spirits set free

Hotter than fire, the magic will be.

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CLAN CARRUTHERS – A HAUNTED HALLOWEEN IN NORTHERN IRELAND

A HAUNTED HALLOWEEN IN NORTHERN IRELAND

 

…Ulster-Scots traditions are not simply a melange of Scots and Irish phenomena. Significant elements are exclusive to Ulster and perhaps most significantly, these communities appear to have generated a distinctive pattern of calender customs with it’s own set of cyclical balances and relationships”… American folklorist, Jack Santino, Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life.

The word Hallowe’en comes from a Scottish term for All Hallows’ Eve. It is also know as Haleve Nicht in Ulster-Scots.  The date of 31st Oct. was  adopted & Christianised by the church in the 8th century as the eve of All Saints Day, but the day originates with ancient pagan festivals held by the Celtic speaking peoples of Ireland & Britain, particularly the Gaelic festival of Samhain  & the Briton festival of Calan Gaeaf .  Halloween was and still is one of the most important festivals of the year throughout Scotland & Ireland.  It was the climax of the harvest and throughout the upland areas of Ulster it also marked the traditional date of the return of cattle & their herds from the summer pastures on the mountains. The 1^st of November was the New Year of the Celtic calendar and as such was the most important day of the Celtic year. Halloween was the only one of the ancient Celtic quarter days observed by the Presbyterian communities (the other quarter days being Lughnasa /Lammas, Imbolc & Beltaine).

Ulster-Scots were superstitious people and belief in fairies & the supernatural world was wide-spread. Writing in 1821, the Rev. John McCloskey of Banagher parish, Co Down proposed that the Scots who migrated to Ulster in the seventeenth century came with the “whole train of witches, the tribe of fairies, the overlooking (bewitching) of horses and cows.” Some believed that “the Irish & Scots fairies fought regularly every year for control of the magical realms of Ulster.”. 

Ulster-Scots Halloween traditions included lighting bonfires, parties with special food & games, practical jokes and children visiting houses guising (wearing a disguise) & rhyming – all with a heightened sense of the supernatural. Turnips were hollowed out and faces carved into the flesh. They were then illuminated by candlelight and put outside the home to ward off evil spirits.

Turnip lanterns

In Fermanagh it was believed that on the Eve of All Hallows the dead would take revenge for any hurt done to them while alive. So people with troubled consciences avoided graveyards or if they heard steps behind them did not turn around for this meant instant death.

Hallowe’en was more celebrated for fortune-telling than any other night of the year. In Armagh pairs of nuts were put on the hearth and named after courting couples. The behaviour of the nuts was supposed to be indicative of the future of the couples: if the nuts jumped apart it meant arguments and infidelity, if they stayed together, long life and happiness.

Children went around neighbours houses rhyming in the hope of receiving apples or nuts (or in more recent years, money). The most popular rhyme was a slightly altered version of a Mumming rhyme usually associated with Chritsmas:

“Hallowe’en is cumin’ tha goose is gettin’ fat.
Wud ye please put a penny in tha oul man’s hat.
If ye havnae got a penny a ha’pney wull do.
If ye havnae got a ha’pney God bless you.
And yer oul man too.”

A 1817 description from Islandmagee, County Antrim read: “On Haleve, alias Hallow-e’en, apples & nuts were eaten, with which young boys & girls often play some harmless tricks, for the purposes of prying into futurity about sweethearts; boys also go about and strike the doors of dwelling houses with cabbages, or the like.”. One of the more popular pranks was to remove a gate from a field or garden and place it on a roof to make it look like the work of a devious supernatural being.

Halloweve – An Ulster-Scots poem by Adam Lynn of Cullybacky in Co Antrim, describing typical Halloween customs (circa Oct 1900).

Haleve comes bit yince a year, 
The auld folks used to say ; 
So Wully axed me ower yin eve 
To drink a cup o’ tae; 
So ower goes I, and, boys a dear, 
We had a desplr’t time, . O’ which I wush tae gie some hints 
In this bit simple rhyme 
On Haleve Nicht.

The table sure it almaist groan’d 
Wae iverything you’d name; 
If anything wus left ava 
It was nane 0’ oor blame; 
The tableclaith was then fouled up, 
The fun it did begin, 
I hope the tricks the youngsters played 
Wur tainted not wae sin 
That Haleve Nicht

” Bless me,” said I, ” what noise is that? ” 
The door it got some slaps; 
Said I, ” If this ere hoose wus mine 
I’d go’ot an’ choke them waps.”
J est then we all begun tae sneeze,
No’ yin 0’ us could speak
The hoose it was completely filled
Wae pepper and tow reek
That Haleve Nicht.

As soon as this had cleared  awa’ 
The big tub wus brung in, 
Then for a red-cheek’d epple, ‘od, 
The dookin’ did begin ; 
Anither yin swung frae the roof, 
Beside a lichted split, 
And many a bluidy mooth was got 
By hanching for a bit 
That Haleve Nicht.

A turnip peelin’ was hung up 
Withoot a crack or fla’
An’ yin young lad he’ it’ a her’n,
The heed and banes and a’.
Some roucht at tricks wae luckin’ glass,
An’ ithers wae a plate,
The hale idea was tae ken
Wha’d likely be their mate
Some Haleve Nicht.

Bit naethin’ bate the burnin’ nits, 
And hoo they bleezed thegither, 
‘Twas very seldom, I should think, 
They seemed tae like each ither ; 
But is the cause no’ at the heart, 
As some 0’ them hes nane, 
And some hes bad and some hes guid, 
And weer we no’ the same 
This Haleve Nicht ?



Halloween in the USA. 

Although the Christianised All Hallows’ Eve was observed in America in the early days by English Anglicans & Catholics the modern spooky holiday & its supernatural traditions were brought to America by Ulster-Scots, Irish & Scottish immigrants.  Halloween didn’t take off as a mainstream secular holiday in the USA until the early 1900’s. Up until that point it was more commonly associated with people of a Scottish background than any other ethnic group.

illustration for Robert Burns’ Halloween

The first book on the history of Halloween in America ‘The Book Of Halloween’  (1919) describes festivities such as hosting a ‘Scotch party’, using Robert Burns’ poem ‘Halloween’as a guide to costumes and party games. Burns’ poem of 1785 was influential in spreading the customs of the holiday to a wider American audience. Today’s American customs of wearing costumes, carving pumpkins and Trick ‘r Treating are evolutions of old traditions from Scotland & Ireland.

Early 20^th century Halloween cards in the USA frequently included symbolism such as tartan, thistles and men in kilts (see samples below). They reveal just how closely Scotland was associated with Halloween in American minds…

.

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ELIZABETH CARRUTHERS  ONTARIA CANADA

CLAN CARRUTHERS INT SOCIETY CCIS HISTORIAN AND GENEALOGIST

 

 

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CLAN CARRUTHERS-THE WITCHES DANCE

THE WITCHES DANCE

The witches’ gathering of Halloween 1590 in North Berwick was one of the most infamous gatherings, especially because of the ensuing trials, which sentenced many innocent people to their death, purely for political gain.

Edinburgh Castle Esplanade. The Witches’ Fountain was designed by John Duncan for Sir Patrick Geddes in 1894 and erected in 1912, created to commemorate the more than 300 witches that had been tied at the stake, strangled and then burnt between 1492 and 1722 on Castlehill, the rocky outcrop that rises above Edinburgh’s city centre. In all, it is thought that over 4500 “witches” were burnt in Scotland.

THIS IS THE FOUNTAIN WITH HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WERE TORTURED AND BURNED

North Berwick Harbour. Currently a haven for tourists and boats bringing them to the Bass Rock, this once tidal peninsula formed an important crossing for pilgrims to St Andrews. But on Halloween of 1590, the remains of St Andrew’s Auld Kirk, now situated in front of the Scottish Seabird Centre, provided the backdrop for one of the most notorious witches’ covens. In short, the story of the witches’ gathering in North Berwick is this: a group of East Lothian men and women, some of them well-respected members of society, had been gathering at various locations in the county. Many of them were interested in herbal medicine, most of them likely gathered purely for social reasons. But after their gathering in North Berwick, on Halloween 1590, they were accused of conspiring to do damage to King James VI during his voyage from Denmark with his new bride, Queen Anne. Indeed, their ship was caught in a terrible tempest and although the royal couple escaped, the storm was blamed on the group of witches that had met in North Berwick.

The key figure in the tragedy was a maidservant from Tranent, Gelie Duncan. She was employed in the house of a wealthy local man, Chamberlain David Seaton. Duncan had an exceptional gift for healing and comforting the sick. In an atmosphere of fear and misgiving, it was not long before her skills aroused suspicion. Some feared that she possessed supernatural powers. Religious zealotry is nothing new and then, as now, some ascribed such powers to the devil. Seaton therefore confronted her and as she could give no satisfactory explanation for her methods of healing, she was tortured.

Duncan stood accused of performing medical wonders with the help of the devil. Seaton used thumbscrews, which were designed to extract quick confessions. When Duncan kept her silence, Seaton had her body examined for marks of the devil, whose signs were identified on the front of her throat. Though a more likely scenario was that Duncan might have had a boyfriend, and that their togetherness left certain traces on her throat, it was instead concluded that she was “bedevilled”.

Eventually, Duncan did confess and was thrown in prison. Her confession showed to everyone that evil forces were indeed afoot in Scotland. Duncan claimed that she was one of 200 witches, who at the behest of the Earl of Bothwell, one of James’s greatest enemies, had tried to overshadow the king. Some of their most extraordinary plotting she said took place in North Berwick. On Halloween, October 31, in 1590, the witches had allegedly sailed to North Berwick and gathered at the Kirk. Among those present were Agnes Sampson, Agnes Thompson, Dr. Fian (who was actually John Cuningham and was named the leader of the group), George Mott’s wife, Robert Gierson ( married Janet Douglas and son-in-law to John Carruthers), Janet Blandilands, Ewphame Mecalrean, and Barbara Naper. On a dark and stormy night, the devil appeared to them in the church. Surrounded by black candles dripping with wax, he preached a sermon from the pulpit. While in the churchyard, Duncan herself played a Jew’s harp and the throng danced wildly, singing all the while. Several arrests now followed, each “witness” tortured and then placed on trial. What sets the North Berwick witch trials apart from many other such trials, is that the king took a personal interest in these trials. On November 28, 1590, it was reported that the king himself had questioned some of the witches. It was said that his investigation had led to confessions and betrayal of their “fellowes”, as well as their odious acts. Trials were announced to be held in the near future.

CHURCH OF DR FIAN KNOWN AS JOHN CUNNINGHAM

On the surface, the logical answer might be that because the allegations were directly to do with the king’s fate, he took a personal interest, but in retrospect, it is clear that the king wanted to copy social trends that he had witnessed on the continent, and use witchcraft and these trials as a means to a political end.

The king had everyone that Gelie had named brought before him. They were tried and many were convicted, some to death. Among the latter were Agnes Sampson from Humbie and John Fian, a Prestonpans schoolmaster. Euframe MacAlyane’s “real crimes” were that she had asked a midwife to relieve the pains of labour, but as analgesia were condemned, MacAlyane was put to death.

Agnes Sampson was taken to Holyrood Palace, where she was interrogated and tortured. On December 7, Agnes Sampson confessed that on October 31, she was one of the witches that convened in North Berwick for a Sabbath. In contemporary correspondence, it reads that “The King ‘by his owne especiall travell’ has drawn Sampson, the great witch, to confess her wicked doings, and to discover sundry things touching his own life, and how the witches sought to have his shirt or other linen for the execution of their charmes. In this Lord Claud and other noblemen are evill spoken of. The witches known number over thirty, and many others accused.” And: “Their actes are filthy, lewde, and phantasticall.” The guilty verdict was based partly on the fact that, “[She] foreknew from Devil the queen would not come to this country unless the king fetched her”.

Duncan herself was burnt as a witch on Castle Hill, and she is therefore one of the 300 witches commemorated by the Witches’ Fountain. But the story of the North Berwick witches as it has come to be known relies primarily on the testimony of the schoolmaster of Prestonpans, who had been identified by all as the leader of the group. Fian was found guilty of being “approached by the devil (dressed in white) while in Thomas Trumbill’s room in Tranent.” Allegedly, the devil persuaded him to burn Trumbill’s house.

Fian’s confession read that the devil had first asked him to deny God and all true religion, secondly to give his faith to the devil and adore him, thirdly that he said to the devil that he should persuade as many as he could to join his society, fourthly that he dismembered the bodies of dead corpses and specially unbaptised children, fifthly that he destroyed men by land and sea with corn, cattle and goods, and raised tempest and stormy weather as the Devil himself, blowing in the air, etc.

No doubt the most impressive act was that while he was lying in his bed at Prestonpans, he let himself be carried to North Berwick church, “where Satan commanded him to make homage with the rest of his servants.” There, as attested by others, Satan spoke from the pulpit. During this sermon, John Fian sat on the left side of the pulpit, nearest to “the devil”. At the end of the sermon, the devil descended and took Fian by the hand and led him about and afterwards made him kiss his “ass”. After coming out of the kirk, Fian stood amongst the graves and allegedly opened three of them, while two dead bodies were dismembered by the women.

Fian pleaded guilty for the bewitching and possessing of Williame Hutsoune in Windiegoull “with an evil spirit”. The evil spirit remained with Hutsoune for 26 weeks, but left as soon as Fian was taken into custody. He confessed that the group went to sea in a boat, accompanied by Satan, with the intent to raise the winds when the king was on his way to Denmark. They also sent a letter to Marioun Linkup in Leith, to that effect, bidding her to meet him and the rest, on the sea, within five days. There, Satan “delivered a cat” out of his hand to Robert Griersoune, saying ‘Cast the same in the see hola!”

Finally, still according to Fian, upon the king’s return from Denmark, Satan promised to raise a mist and wreck the king in England; “he took “a thing like a football”, which to Fian appeared to be a wisp, and cast it in the sea, upon which a vapour and smell rose from it. History tells us that though there was indeed a storm, both king and queen made it safely to Scottish soil. If it occurred, then it is clear that the devil was no match for the Scottish king. But historians dismiss the witchcraft at the Auld Kirk as a total myth: no devil worship ever occurred here and some even go as far as to argue that not even a meeting occurred there that Halloween, that the story was tortured out of the poor servant girl Gelie Duncan. They place the blame firmly with king James VI. As one specialist on James VI has observed: “It is impossible to study the details of this period without realising the extraordinary fear which James had of his cousin [Francis Bothwell]; it was fear with an underlying horror, totally different from his feeling towards his other turbulent subjects.”

The problem of the North Berwick witch trials, however, is that they were political expedient. And that innocent people were tortured and killed for a political, kingly agenda. Walter Ferrier in his history of North Berwick wrote: “King James VI had been spending the summer of 1590 in Denmark, wooing and winning his bride, Princess Anne of Denmark. […] While the king was absent from Scotland, Francis Stuart, Earl of Bothwell, had been leading a conspiracy against him and his bride. […] He had always been something of an enfant terrible and was a convinced believer in the witch’s art. Such as there is in the North Berwick “happening” suggests that Francis was motivated by a desire to get the King and his bride out of the way, believing that he could by witchcraft raise a storm in the estuary of the Forth, thus hopefully to wreck the king’s ship with both its royal occupants as they sailed into home waters.” Though I agree with Ferrier that there was a clear political rivalry, there is no historical information that Bothwell was interested in witchcraft or might have believed that he could raise a storm fierce enough to crash the king’s ship. So who is right? When the trial transcripts and confessions are analysed, it is clear that these people indeed had gathered on a number of occasions that year, like one previous meeting that had been held at Prestonpans. But it is also clear that they did not gather to perform witchcraft. At most, these were the New Agers of their time, people with an interest in herbal medicine, convening to talk about interesting subjects, and like.

Into these gatherings, the trials injected Bothwell. It seems unlikely that Bothwell actually attended, but if he did, it is clear that on Halloween, he was not dressed up as the devil, prancing around the cemetery! Indeed, after the hearings, in which he had condemned all of these people to death, James VI next declared that they were “all extreame lyars”, for he did not get the material he wanted to hear, which was material that would inculpate Bothwell. Bothwell denied any part in the affair and without confessions, the king was powerless to act against Bothwell.

With the North Berwick witch trials, James VI copied behaviour that he had learned abroad. The summer of 1590 had seen a great witch hunt in Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, the home of James VI’s wife. One of the first victims was Anna Koldings, who under pressure divulged the names of five other women. One of them was the wife of the mayor of Copenhagen. They all confessed that they had been guilty of sorcery in raising storms, which menaced Queen Anne’s voyage and that they had sent devils to climb up the keel of her ship. In September, a month before James VI left with his new wife, two women were burnt as witches at Kronborg.

By the end of July 1590, news of the arrests of witches in Denmark was reported in Scotland, and arrests were also held in Edinburgh. “It is advertised from Denmark, that the admirall there hathe caused five or six witches to be taken in Coupnahaven, upon suspicion that by their witche craft they had staied the Queen of Scottes voiage into Scotland, and sought to have staied likewise the King’s retorne.”

The available evidence therefore strongly suggests that the king had a predetermined agenda, in which there “had” to be witches in Scotland, witches that were trying to bring him and his new wife down. But there was more. The trials were also at the origins of a book on witchcraft that James VI would publish in 1597, a book called “Daemonologie”. Walter Ferrier has also wondered whether there was a connection between the witch trial and James’ doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings, about which the king also wrote. Ferrier wonders whether James VI wanted to chart the “occult powers” that were trying to get his throne. He even goes as far as to suggest that perhaps James VI believed that all the witches’ doings, all his enemies, could not get him from his throne, that he therefore believed that he was favoured by God, and as such was a Divine King, graced by god. In retrospect, it is clear that James VI used lies to boost his own importance, using the lives of innocent people to create the false impression that the Devil himself was out to get him, and that somehow, not even the Devil could oust him from his royal throne. Following the North Berwick witch trials, the records of the Scottish courts started to show increasing numbers of people being accused of witchcraft. In 1597, Janet Stewart of Canongate and Christian Livingston of Leith were accused of casting spells on Thomas Guthry. They were sentenced to be executed on the Castle Hill. The Kirk records of South Leith show many trials occurring in their parish. This included the search for the devil’s mark on bodies by a man from Musselburgh who had a reputation for finding these marks. The usual trial was to find blue or red birthmarks and to burn them with a hot iron or to insert a pin or needle. If the victim felt no pain then they were declared a witch. Suspected people were bled at between the eyes, which was supposed to make a witch powerless. If found guilty, the victim was burned alive. It is apparent that James VI had created a reign of terror, in which anyone could suddenly be accused of being a devil worshipper, based on no evidence whatsoever. Though the North Berwick witch trials are primarily linked with James VI, others have argued that the Reformation had given those who practiced the old Celtic ways an impetus to gather more freely than before, in the mistaken belief that there was now more religious freedom. That turned out to be not the case. Before 1563, witchcraft had been dealt with by the Church, but in 1563, the witchcraft act was passed, and it is this act that would see its first full use in 1590. And history has shown that such a perverse act, whether used by the Church or by the king, will be abused.

King James VI wanted to be both a social example and a legislator. Furthermore, the trials became a method in which the king could dispose of his enemies and portray himself as a more important, powerful figure than he actually was. He became depicted as the “Man the devil had to the fear the most”. For this, however, witches had to suffer, as they had to be portrayed as being in alliance with the devil, against the king.

After their arrest, the “witches” were held in the Tolbooth, on Edinburgh’s lower High Street, where they were tortured and interrogated. At one point during his captivity, John Fian escaped by stealing a key. When he was captured, he was subjected to even more horrific torture. He was executed, after having withdrawn his earlier confession. And is remembered as one of 300 innocent people that were killed for purely political reasons.  

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CLAN CARRUTHERS INT SOCIETY CCIS HISTORIAN AND GENEALOGIST

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