she, the said Jane Wenham had bewitched her: Then Jane Wenham went under the Window where the sick Woman lay, and said, Why do they let this Creature lye there? Why don’t they take her and hang her out of the way? At which she, this Informant, had some Words with Jane Wenham, saying, Take you, and hang you out of the Way: and then Jane Wenham answer’d, Hold you your Tongue, I don’t meddle with you, and that Night, the sick Woman, aforesaid, died.
‘And this Informant farther saith, That, soon after, Jane Wenham came to this Informant’s House, and look’d upon a Child which was in her Lap, and stroaked it; and said, Susan, you have a curious Child; you and I had some Words, but I hope we are Friends; and asked this Informant to lend her a Glass to carry some Vinegar in from the Shop; then this Informant sent Jane Wenham a Glass, who went away. And this Informant was afraid of her Child, remembering she was thought to have bewitched Richard Harvey’s Wife.
‘This Informant further saith, That on Sunday following, she was at her brother Jeremy Harvey’s House, with her Child, and that her Child was taken in a grievous Condition, stark Distracted, and so died on the Thursday following; and this Informant saith, she thinks Jane Wenham bewitched her Child; and saith also, that Jane Wenham has had the Reputation of a Witch for several Years before.
‘Thomas Adams, Junior, of Walkerne, maketh Oath, that about Three Weeks, or a month before Christmas last, he met Jane Wenham in his Turnip Field, with a few of his Turnips, which she was carrying away; and upon his Threatning her, she threw them down; he, this Informant, told her she might keep them, for she should pay dear for them; then she was very submissive, and begg’d Pardon, saying, she had no Victuals all that day, and had no money to buy any; afterwards, they parted, and he saw her not after; But, on Christmas-Day Morning, One of his best Sheep died without any Signs of Illness found upon the Body after it was open’d, and Nine or Ten Days after, died another Sheep, in an unaccountable Manner; and, shortly after, Two more Sheep died also, some of them having no Marks of Disease upon ’em, but being sound in all their Parts, as his Shepherd informs him. He also saith that his Shepherd tells him that one other Sheep was taken strangely, skipping and standing upon its Head, but in half an Hour was well, and continues so; and another Sheep was likewise Ill, Two or Three Days, but it is now well again: And Jane Wenham having the Common Fame of a Witch, he does believe that if they were bewitch’d, she did bewitch them.’
All these charges convinced the jury that she was indeed a witch, and the judge had no option but to sentence her; but he got her a reprieve, and she was let out of prison, when she was kindly befriended by Colonel Plummer, of Gilston, who gave her a cottage in which she harmlessly lived the remainder of her days.
But although this was the last capital conviction in England, the belief in witchcraft was far from dead; nay, it is still living in some remote districts, but cannot long exist, as education makes its way.
Chapter XXI.
Scotch Witches—Bessie Dunlop—Alesoun Peirson—Dr. John Fian—The Devil a Preacher—Examination of Agnes Sampson—Confession of Issobel Gowdie.
But Scotland was the real home of the witch. Comparatively speaking, the English hardly knew what a witch was, and the reports of trials are so numerous that space prohibits my making more than a selection of them. Witches were important personages—at least, in the sixteenth century—for we read in the trial of Bessie Dunlop, 1576, how many noble ladies consulted her. ‘And demandit,—To quhom sche applyit the powder in drink? Declarit,—That the Lady Johnstoune the elder, send to hir ane servand of the said ladies, &c. ... Interrogat—Quhair sche gaif the gentile woman the drink? Answerit—In hir awin sisteris hous, the young Ladye Blakhallis.... Demandit—Gif ony uther personnes had bene at hir for the lyke caus? Declarit—That the Lady Kilbowye elder, send for hir &c.... Demandit—Quhat personnes thar wer? Answerit—The Ladye Thridpairt in the barronye of Renfrew, send to hir, and sperit at her, Quha was it that had stollin from hir twa hornis of gold, and are croune of the sone, out of hir pyrse?... The Ladye Blaire sundrie times had spokin with hir, about sum claise that was stollin fra hir.’
Again, in the trial of Alesoun Peirson, May 28, 1588: ‘And in speciall, scho said, that he tauld hir that the Bischop of Sanct Androus56 had mony seiknessis, as the trimbling fewer,57 the palp,58 the rippilis,59 and the flexus;60 and baid hir mak ane faw,61 and rub it on his cheikis, his craig, his breist, stommak and sydis.’
A favourite place of meeting, where they held their Sabbat, was at North Berwick-Kirk. In the trial of Johnne Feane, alias Cwninghame, December 26, 1590, we find: ‘Item. Fylit, ffor being in cumpany with Satan in the Kirk of North Berwick, quhair he apperit to him in the forme of ane blak maun within the pulpett thairof; and efter his out-cuminge of the Kirk, poyntit the graues and stwid aboue thame; quhilkis wer opnit in thre sindrie pairtis, twa within and ane without; quhilk the wemen demembrit the deid corps and bodeis being thairin, with thair galleis;62 and in contment wes transportit, without wordis.... Item. Fylit. for being in North Berwick Kirk, at ane conventioune with Sathan and utheris witches; quhair Sathan maid ane dewelisch sermon, quhair the said Johnne satt uponne the left syde of the pulppett, narrest him; And the sermon being endit, he came doune and tuke the said Johnne be the hand; and led him widderschinnis63 about.’
In ‘A True Discourse of the apprehension of Sundrie Witches lately taken in Scotland,’ etc., 1591, is the following ‘Item. The said Agnis Tompson (Sampson) was after brought againe before the Kinges Majestie and his Councell, and beeing examined of the meetings and detestable dealings of those witches, she confessed, that upon the night of Allhollow Even last, shee was accompanied, as well with the persons aforesaide, as also with a great many other witches, to the number of two hundreth, and that all they together went to Sea, each one in a riddle or cive, and went into the same very substantially, with flaggons of wine, making merrie and drinking by the way, in the same riddles or cives, to the Kirk of North Barrick in Lowthian; and that after they had landed, tooke handes on the lande, and daunced this reill or short daunce, singing all with one voice,
‘“Commer goe ye before, commer goe ye,
Gif ye will not goe before, commer let me.”
‘At which time shee confessed, that this Geillis Duncane did goe before them, playing this reill or daunce, uppon a small trumpe, called a Jewe’s trump, untill they entred into the Kirk of North Barrick.’
This Agnes Sampson was tried on January 27, 1591, for conspiring the King’s death, witchcraft, sorcery, incantation, etc., and her ultimate fate was ‘to be tane to the Castle (hill) of Edinburgh, and thair bund to ane staik and werreit (strangled), quhill sche wes deid; and thairefter her body to be brunt in assis.’
‘Item, fylit and convict, ffor as mekle as sche confest before his Maiestie, That the Dewill, in mannis liknes, mett hir going out in the fieldis frome hir awin hous att Keyth, betwix fyve and sax at ewin, being hir allane; and commandit hir to be at North Bervick Kirk the nixt nycht: And she passit thair on horsbak, and lychtit at the Kirk yaird. Or a lytill before sche come to itt, about ellewin houris att ewin, they danceit alangis the Kirk yaird, Gelie Duncan playit to thame one a trump.’
She then gives the names of many who were present. ‘Quhairof thair wes sax men, and all the rest wemen. The wemen maid fyrst thair homage, and nixt the men. The men wer turnit nyne tymes widderschinnes about, and the wemen