A Collection of Rare and Curious Tracts on Witchcraft and the Second Sight Part 7

This deposition was renewed in all the particulars by the said Menie, in the foresaid place, on Sunday the first of July, 1649, before Alexander Levingston of Saltcoatts, James Borthwick chamberlane, James Lawder, John Stalker baillie, Wm. Dalzell, and Mr John M'Ghie, minister at Dirltoun.

(Signed) J. MAKGHIE.

ALEX. LEVINGSTOUN, _witness_.

JA. BORTHWICK.

JAMES LAUDER.

JOHN STALKER.

W. DALZELL.

WALTER MARSHALL.

THE DECLARATION OF JOHN KINCAID.

JUNE, 1649.

The whilk day, in presence of Alex. Levingston of Saltcoattis, James Borthwick chalmerlain of Dirltoun, John Stalker baillie thairof, James Foirman in Drem, Mr James Achieson in North-Berwick, and William Dalzell notar, Patrick Watson in West Fenton, and Menie Haliburtoun his spous, bruitted and long suspect of witchcraft, _of thair awin frie will uncompellit_, heiring that I John Kincaid under subscryvand wes in the toune of Dirltoune, and had some skill and dexterity in trying of the divillis marke in the personis of such as wer suspect to be witches, came to the broad hall in the Castell of Dirltoune, and desyred me the said John Kincaid to use my tryall of thame as I had done on utheris, whilk when I had done, I found the divillis marke upon the bak syde of the said Patrik Watsone, a littill under the point of his left shoulder, and upon the left syde of the said Menie Halyburtoun hir neck a littill above her left shoulder, whairof thay wer not sensible, neither cam furth thairof any bloode after I had tryed the samin as exactlie as ever I did any uthers. This I testifie to be of veritie upon my credit and conscience. In witnes quhairof, I have subscryvit thir presentis with my hand, day and place forsaid, befoir ther witnesses above specifiet.

J. K.

ALEX. LEVINGSTOUN, _witness_.

JA. BORTHWICK, _witness_.

JOHN STALKER, _witness_.

JAMES FORMAN, _witness_.

JA. ACHESONE, _witness_.

W. DALZELL, _witness_.

THE TRIAL OF WILLIAM c.o.kE AND ALISON d.i.c.k, FOR WITCHCRAFT.

_Extracted from the Minutes of the Kirk-Session of Kirkaldy, A. D.

1636._

_September 6th, 1633._

The which day, compeared Alison d.i.c.k, challenged upon some speeches uttered by her against William c.o.ke, tending to witchcraft,--denied the samyne.

1. Compeared Alexander Savage, Andrew Nicol, and George Tillie, who being admitted and sworn, deponed as follows: The said Alexander Savage, that he heard the said Alison d.i.c.k say to her husband William c.o.ke, 'Thou has put down many s.h.i.+ps; it had been gude for the people of Kirkaldie, that they had knit a stone about thy neck and drowned thee.'

2. Andrew Nicol deponed, that he heard the said Alison say to him, 'Thou has gotten the woman's song laid, as thou promised; thou art over-long living; it had been gude for the women of Kirkaldy, that thou had been dead long since. I shall cause all the world wonder upon thee.'

3. George Tillie deponed, that he heard her say to him, 'It had been gude for the women of Kirkaldy, to put him to death; and that he had died seven years since.'

Also compeared Jean Adamson, Kathrine Spens, Marion Meason, Isobel Murison, Alison Kelloch, who being admitted and sworn, deponed as follows:

4. Jean Adamson deponed, that she heard Alison d.i.c.k say to her husband William c.o.ke, 'Thief! Thief! what is this that I have been doing? keeping the thretty years from meikle evil doing.

Many pretty men has thou putten down both in s.h.i.+ps and boats; thou has gotten the woman's song laid now. Let honest men puddle and work as they like, if they please not thee well, they shall not have meikle to the fore when they die.'

5. Kathrine Spens deponed, that she heard her say to him, 'Common thief, I have hindered thee from many ill turns doing, both to s.h.i.+ps and boats.'

6. Marion Meason deponed, that she heard her say, 'Common thief, mony ill turn have I hindered thee from doing thir thretty years; mony s.h.i.+ps and boats has thou put down; and when I would have halden the string to have saved one man, thou wald not.'

7. Isobel Murison deponed, that she heard her say to him, 'Thief, thief, I have keeped thee from doing many ill turnes. Thou has now laid the woman's song.'

_September 24th, 1633._

8. Compeared Janet Allan, relict of umquhile John Duncan fisher, deponed, that Alison d.i.c.k came in upon a certain time to her house, when she was lying in of a bairn, and craved some sour bakes; and she denying to give her any, the said Alison said, your bairns shall beg yet, (as they do.) And her husband being angry at her, reproved her; and she abused him in language; and when he strak her, she said, that she should cause him rue it; and she hoped to see the powarts bigg in his hair; and within half a year he was casten away, and his boat, and perished.

9. Janet Sauders, daughter-in-law to the said William c.o.ke and Alison d.i.c.k, deponed, that William c.o.ke came in to her, and she being weeping, he demanded the cause of it, she answered, it was for her husband. The said William said, What ails thee? Thou wilt get thy gudman again, but ye will get him both naked and bare; and whereas there was no word of him for a long time before, he came home within two days thereafter, naked and bare as he said; the s.h.i.+p wherein he was being casten away.

4, 10. Jean Adamson deponed, that when her gudman sailed with David Robertson, the said David having sent him home with a s.h.i.+p to come for Scotland, there was a long time that there was no word of that s.h.i.+p; so that David Robertson coming home, and the other s.h.i.+p not come, nor no word from her, he said he would never see her. The said Alison d.i.c.k came in to her, (she with her bairns being weeping), and said, What ails ye Jean to weep? She answered, We have all good cause to weep for my husband, whom we will never see more. The said Alison said, hold your tongue, your gudman and all the company are well enough; they are in Norway loading their s.h.i.+p with timber to come home, they will be here shortly. And so it fell out in every point as she said.

5, 11. Kathrine Spens deponed, that William c.o.ke came in to her, after that his wife had spoken so much evil to him, and said, Kathrine, my wife has spoken meikle ill of me this day, but I said nothing to her again. If I had spoken two words to her the last time she was in the steeple, she would never have gotten out of it.

Minutes of 24th September, ordains Mr James Miller to ride to Preston for the man that tries the witches. The expence to be paid by the Town and Session.

_September 8th,_

12. Compeared Isobel Hay, spouse to Alexander Law, against Alison d.i.c.k, who being sworn, deponed, that she having come in to her house, her husband being newly sailed, she craved some money of her, which she refused, and boasted her. The said Alison said, It shall gang wair geats; and that same voyage, her husband had great loss. And thereafter, the said Alison came in to her house, she being furth, and took her sister by the hand, and since that time, the maiden had never been in her right wits.

13. William Bervie declared, that Robert Whyt having once stricken William c.o.ke, Alison d.i.c.k his wife, came to the said Robert, and said, Wherefore have ye stricken my husband? I shall cause you rue it. The said Robert replying, What sayest thou? I shall give you as much--you witch. She answered, 'Witches take the wit and the grace from you;' and that same night, he was bereft of his wits.

14. Janet Whyt, daughter to the said Robert, compearing, affirmed the said dittay to be true upon her oath. And added, that she went to the said Alison, and reproved her, laying the wyt of her father's sickness upon her. Let him pay me then, and he will be better; but if he pay me not, he will be worse; for there is none that does me wrong, but I go to my G.o.d and complains upon them, and within 24 hours I will get amends of them. The said Janet Whyt declared, that Alison d.i.c.k said to her servant, Agnes Fairlie, I have gotten a grip of your gudwife's thigh; I shall get a grip of her leg next; the said Janet having burnt her thigh before with lint: and thereafter she has taken such a pain in her leg, that she can get no remedy for it. Whilk the said Agnes Fairlie deponed upon her great oath to be true.

15. Alison d.i.c.k herself declared, that David Paterson, skipper, having struck William c.o.ke her husband, and drawn him by the feet, and compelled him to bear his gear aboard, the said William cursed the said David, and that voyage he was taken by the Dunkirkers. Also, at another time thereafter, he compelled him to bear his gear aboard, and a captain's who was with him, and when the captain would have paid him, the said David would not suffer him; but he himself gave him what he liked. The said William cursed the said David very vehemently; and at that time he himself perished, his s.h.i.+p, and all his company, except two or three. Also she declared, that when his own son sailed in David Whyt's s.h.i.+p, and gave not his father his bonnallie,[11] the said William said, What? Is he sailed, and given me nothing? The devil be with him; if ever he come home again, he shall come home naked and bare; and so it fell out. For John Whyt, who had that s.h.i.+p freighted to Norway, and another wherein himself was, declared, that they had very foul weather; and the s.h.i.+p wherein the said young William c.o.ke was, perished; and he saved all the men in the s.h.i.+p wherein he was himself. And albeit the storm increased two days before the peris.h.i.+ng of the said s.h.i.+p, and six days after, yet the two hours s.p.a.ce in which they were saving the men, it was so calm in that part of the sea, that they rowed from one s.h.i.+p to the other with two oars, and the sea was all troublesome about them. And the said William c.o.ke the younger, was the first man that came a s.h.i.+pboard.

[11] His farewell cup.

_Paction._--The same day, Alison d.i.c.k being demanded by Mr James Simson, minister, when, and how, she fell in covenant with the devil? She answered, her husband mony times urged her, and she yielded only two or three years since. The manner was thus--He gave her, soul and body, quick and quidder full to the devil, and bade her do so. But she in her heart said, G.o.d guide me. And then she said to him, I shall do any thing that ye bid me: and so she gave herself to the devil in the foresaid words.--This she confessed about four hours at even, freely, without compulsion, before Mr James Simson, minister, William Tennent, baillie, Robert French, town-clerk, Mr John Malcolme, schoolmaster, William Craig, and me, the said Mr James Miller, writer hereof.

_October 15th._

16. The which day, compeared Christian Ronaldson, against Alison d.i.c.k, who, in her presence being sworn, deponed, that she having set an house to the said Alison, and when the gudman came home he was angry, and said, he would not have the devil to dwell above him in the closs; and he went and struck up the door, and put forth the chimney that she put in it. And thereafter, Alison came to the said Christian, and chopped upon her shoulder, and said to her, Christie, your gudman is going to sail, and he has ane stock among his hands, but ere long, his stock shall be as short as mine. And so it fell out, for he was casten away in David Whyt's s.h.i.+p, and saved nothing.

_October 22d._