According to the pamphlet, the case began with the arrest
of a maidservant named Geillis Duncan who was suspected by her employer,
David Smeaton of Tranent, who was also a deputy bailiff. His reasons for
suspicion were the fact that she "vsed secretly to be absent and to lye
foorth to her Maisters house euery other night: this Geillis Duncane took
in hand to help all such as were troubled or greeued with any kinde of
sicknes or infirmitie: and in short space did perfourme manye matter most
miraculous, which thinges forasmuch as she began to doe before, made her
Maister and other to be in great admiracion and wondered therat: by meanes
wherof the saide Dauid Seaton had his maide in some great suspition, that
she did not those things by naturall and lawfull wayes, but rather supposed
it to be doone by some extrordinary and vnlawfull meanes." By comparison
with English cases, Scottish cases saw rather more magical healers come
under suspicion. The methods of enquiry were also rather different
under the Roman law system in force north of the border.
Geillis Duncan was tortured with the "pilliwinkes" on
her fingers and by "binding or winching her head with a cord or roape."
She did not confess until the devil?s mark was found on her throat: "by
due examination of witchcraft and Witches in Scotland, it hath lately beene
founde that the diuell doth generally marke them with a privie marke."
Her initial stories were relatively conventional, by comparison with later
confessions.
Note that the main text was printed in black letter type, regarded by English printers as easier for the common reader. The use of trial records, or what purported to be such, was very rare in English pamphlets at this date. However, there are contradictions in the legal details that make one wonder if actual documents were used or if this is a literary device, giving verisimilitude to the authorial narrative.
Geillis Duncan named Agnes Sampson, Agnes Tompson, Doctor
Fian, alias John Cunningham, Barbara Napier and Effie MacCalyan as her
fellow witches. Some 70 people were implicated in due course, in
what appeared to be a vast political plot against the King, involving the
Earl of Bothwell. [Although Bothwell was arrested, there was difficulty
impanelling a jury of his peers and he was eventually acquitted.]
Agnes Sampson, named by Duncan as "the eldest Witch of them all", confessed
under torture to being a witch and implicated the others, as did Agnes
Tompson. What gradually emerged was a highly colourful story which
detailed "conventions" with large numbers of witches meeting the Devil
at Newhaven, on Lammas Eve 1590, and in the kirk at North Berwick, on All
Hallows' Eve.
The Devil had instructed them in the use of image magic
against the King, and on how to use spells and throw a dead cat into the
sea to create a great storm which was intended to destroy James?s ship
as he travelled back from Denmark with his bride, Anne of Denmark. "Item,
the said Agnis Tompson confessed that the Diuell being then in North Barrick
Kerke attending their coming in the habit or likenes of a man, and seeing
that they tarried ouer long, he at their coming enioyed them all to a pennance,
which was, that they should kisse his Buttockes, in signe of duetye to
him: which being put ouer the Pulpit barre, euerye one did as he had enioyned
them: and hauing made his vngodly exhortations, wherein he did greatlye
enveighe against the King of Scotland, he receiued their othes for their
good and true seruice towards him, and departed... At which time the witches
demaunded of the Diuel why he did beare such hatred to the King, who answered,
by reason the King is the greatest enemy he hath in the worlde: all which
their confessions and depositions are still extant vpon record."
James Fian, the schoolmaster at Saltpans, was also questioned and would not confess until he had been dreadfully tortured. He later confessed "that at the generall meetings of those witches, he was always present: that he was Clarke to all those that were in subjection to the Diuels service, bearing the name of witches, that always he did take their oathes for their true service to the Diuell, and he wrote for them such matters as the Diuell still pleased to command him."
James subsequently engaged in close study of the subject and, in 1597, he published his celebrated Daemonologie, in an attempt to "resolue the doubting harts of many; both that such assaultes of Sathan are most certainly practiced, & that the instrumentes thereof, merits most severly to be punished: against the damnable opinions of two principally in our age, wherof the one called SCOT an Englishman, is not ashamed in publike print to deny, that ther can be such a thing as Witch-craft: and so mainteines the old error of Sadducess in denying of spirits. The other called WIERVS, a German Phisition, sets out a publick apologie for al these craftes-folkes, whereby, procuring for their impunitie, he plainely bewrayes himselfe to haue bene on of that profession." When he ascended the English throne, he ordered Reginald Scot's book to be burned and he reformed the English witchcraft legislation. However, he subsequently became somewhat more of a sceptic regarding particular cases of witchcraft and possession.
Edward H. Thompson, "More Newes from Scotland ? the woodblock illustrations of a witchcraft pamphlet", 1995 conference paper
chronology of the North Berwick trials, with documents
Scotland page, on this site