Witchcraft and the Occult, 1500-1700
Newes from Scotland (London, 1591)
Index
Newes from Scotland is the earliest tract on Scottish witchcraft. It claims to give a true account of a famous trial of alleged witches in North Berwick which had far reaching effects due to the fact that King James VI himself played a prominent part in it, giving credence to the existence of witchcraft and setting the standard for later Scottish trials.  The author would appear to have been a Presbyterian minister, according to a contemporary source: "The tricks and tragedies he [the Devil] played then among so many men and women in this country will hardly get credit by posterity; the history whereof, with their whole depositions, was written by Mr James Carmichael, Minister of Haddington." (Sir James
Melville, Memoirs ed. A. Francis Steuart (1929) p.353)  It would appear, from the prefatory epistle to the reader, that the case was used as a money-making scheme by various people, including a pedlar attempting to make money from his alleged involvement.  However, the story of aerial transportation as a result of bewitchment is so unusual in England or Scotland at this date that one might suspect a continental influence on the author.  However, Christ's transportation through the air by the Devil is an instance of this form of demonic obsession, an example of which occurs a little later, just south of the border, in the work of Richard Gilpin of Newcastle, so sermons might be the source of the belief.

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."


link to an explanation of this image from the pamphlet

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."

He then told a story about a love spell that he had tried on a local gentlewoman. He had supposedly approached this lady?s brother and asked him to obtain some hair from her when she was asleep so he could work his magic spell. The brother was thwarted in this by his sister waking up and calling for her mother. The mother managed to get the story from the boy and suspected witchcraft. She decided to play a trick on Fian so she collected some hairs from the udder of a cow and gave them to her son to give to his schoolmaster. Dr. Fian worked his spell and was surprised to be followed by a lovesick cow.

The young James VI believed in the existence of witchcraft, and had been impressed by theological discussions of the subject that he had heard in Denmark, but the emergence of a political plot, in the manner of medieval sorcery cases, clearly galvanized him into personal involvement in the case.  He conducted many of the later interrogations himself.  Even so, "his Maiestie saide they were all extreame lyars", at least until Agnes Sampson told him the exact words of his conversation with his new wife on their wedding night.

Fian was put to more torture but would confess no more even though his legs were totally crushed in the "bootes". The King and his Council then decided that he was "to remayne a terrour to all others heereafter, that shall attempt to deale in the lyke wicked and ungodlye actions, as witchcraft, sorcery, conjuration and such lyke." The dead body of Dr. Fian was burned at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in late January, 1591/2.

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

Index