Orkney witchcraft trial source books

Orkney Archive has uploaded a fascinating post on the records it holds concerning witchcraft trials in Orkney, including Sheriff Court records and other collections collated over the years.  The post is available to read at http://orkneyarchive.blogspot.com/2019/10/orkney-witchcraft-trial-source-books.html.

If interested in Scotland's dark history concerning witchcraft, don't forget to also visit The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft, "an electronic resource for the history of witchcraft and witch-hunting in Scotland" from the University of Edinburgh, available at http://www.shca.ed.ac.uk/Research/witches/.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Scottish Witch Trial victims commemoration request

The following is from Ruth Maguire, the MSP for the Scottish constituency of Cunninghame South in North Ayrshire. On 9 NOV 2017 Ruth asked the Scottish Parliament's Minister for International Development and Europe (Dr. Alasdair Allan) the following question at General Questions in Holyrood, with reference to this being the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology:

"To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to mark the Scottish witch trials during the year of history, heritage and archaeology 2017?"

Thousands of women were murdered as part of the persecution of alleged witches over four centuries ago, and there have been calls from several quarters for those killed to be remembered in some way by the state. The following is part of their exchange, after Dr. Allan then confirmed there were no plans at present to do so:

The text of the full exchange is available at https://www.theyworkforyou.com/sp/?id=2017-11-09.3.0&s=archaeology.

Chris

My next 5 week long Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course commences Nov 6th 2017 - details at https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Ancestry releases details of Scottish witches

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has released a special Scottish collection just in time for Hallowe'en.

Scotland, Names of Witches, 1658
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61099
Source: Names of Witches in Scotland. Wellcome Library, London, England.

About Scotland, Names of Witches, 1658

The passing of the Scottish Witchcraft Act in 1563 made witchcraft, or consulting with witches, capital crimes in Scotland. It is estimated that between three and five thousand women were publicly accused of being witches in 16th and 17th century Scotland, a much higher number than neighbouring England. Some men were also accused of witchcraft during this period, however, the number of women persecuted was far larger.

The outbreak of witch-hunting in the years 1658-1662, the period in which this list of names was created, is generally agreed to represent the high water mark of Scottish persecution.

Within this collection, you will be able to find details of the accused's name and resident town.

There is a bit more on the book's release on Scottish Legal news at http://www.scottishlegal.com/2016/10/27/book-listing-those-accused-of-witchcraft-in-17th-century-scotland-digitised/

And if that isn't enough on the Scottish witchcraft front for you, don't forget to check out the University of Edinburgh's Survey of Scottish Witchcraft website at http://www.shca.ed.ac.uk/Research/witches/. This site is a database resource for the history of witchcraft and witch-hunting in Scotland, with the names of some 4000 accused witches, and references to case notes in kirk sesison records and other sources.

UPDATE: I've just discovered there were two witches from Largs, North Ayrshire (where I now live), listed in the book - a Margaret Jamieson and a Janet Holmes.

Happy Hallowe'en...!

UPDATE: A wider list of Largs women accused of being witches, and years tried:

Clerk, Agnes (1662)
Crauford, Jonet (1662)
Dumbar, Jean (1662)
Erskine, Sarah (1650)
Holmes, Jonnet (1658)
Jamesonne, Margaret (1658)
Knox, Maig (1622)
Losk, Jonet (1683)
Maillshead, Isobel (1650)
Montgomerie, Maal (1650)
Scott, Marjory (1662)
Sheddon, John (1650)
Small, Cristian (1662)
Small, Maal (1650)
Whyte, Jonet (1662)

(Source: Survey of Scottish Witchcraft http://webdb.ucs.ed.ac.uk/witches/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.main)

Original records on Margaret Jameson and Janet Holmes' trials are held at the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh. Must take a look next time I am up!

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Find witches in the neighbourhood...

It's Hallowe'en again, and so I thought I would list a few resources where you might find some links to cases involving alleged (perhaps actual?!) witchcraft in the family!

In Scotland, the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft (www.shc.ed.ac.uk/Research/witches), has details of nearly 4000 people tried from 1563-1736 for witchcraft, with evidence for many cases gathered by local kirk sessions. For the story of the Forfar Witches visit www.angusheritage.com/People/AngusLives/The-Forfar-Witches.aspx, whilst a look at witches in Fife can be found at www.thefifepost.com/history/witches/.

The tales of witches in Strathearn are recounted at http://perthshirecrieffstrathearnlocalhistor.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/witchcraft-in-strathearn-part-one-of.html and http://perthshirecrieffstrathearnlocalhistor.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/witchcraft-in-strathearn-part-two-of.html.

In England, the Camulos site, which covers Colchester, has tales of local witches at www.camulos.com/witchcraft.htm, whilst the brilliant Pendle Witches website at www.pendlewitches.co.uk tells you everything you need to know about one of the most famous witchcraft cases in British history, at Pendle in Lancashire. The UK parliament site has an overview of laws against witchcraft in England at www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/religion/overview/witchcraft/, whilst tales of wicthcraft in Elizabeth England are available at www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-witchcraft-and-witches.htm.

A study of 17th century witchcraft in the county of Flintshire is online at the National Library of Wales website at www.llgc.org.uk/index.php?id=witchcraftcourtofgrearsessi. In Ireland, the last ever witch trail was that of the Islandmagee witches in County Antrim, who were convicted in my home town of Carrickfergus - you'll find the story at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islandmagee_witch_trial.

Finally, another tip of the hat to Bob Davey MBE, who I interviewed four years ago for Discover my Past England magazine. Bob was a man who basically took on the Devil's hordes and won, when he defeated a local witches coven that tried to desecrate the old 8th century built Anglo-Saxon Church of St Mary the Virgin at Houghton-on-the-Hill, Norfolk (pictured right).

You'll find Bob's story on a subsequent blog post here at
http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/genies-who-inspire-robert-davey-mbe.html.

Happy Hallowe'en!

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including my recently released Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. My Pinterest account is at https://www.pinterest.com/chrismpaton/.

PRONI witchcraft conference for Halloween

From PRONI (www.proni.gov.uk) in Belfast:

31st October 2013

To mark the publication of Dr Andrew Sneddon’s new book Possessed by the Devil: The Real History of the Islandmagee Witches & Ireland's Only Witchcraft Mass Trial (History Press Ireland, 2013) PRONI will be hosting an evening conference looking at various aspects of belief in the supernatural in Ireland before the Twentieth Century.

Programme
5.30 to 6.00 pm Refreshments

6.00 to 7.30 pm Conference

Cara Hanley (University of Ulster) ‘Portrayals of Witchcraft, Gender and Sexuality in Early Modern Imagery’

John Fulton (University of Ulster) ‘Mary Butters: the Carnmoney Witch, 1807-8’

Jodie Shevlin (University of Ulster) ‘Demonic Possession, Exorcism and the Roman Catholic Clergy in the Pre-famine Period’

Andrew Sneddon (University of Ulster) ‘Writing the History of Witchcraft and Magic in Ireland’

Speakers
A history lecturer at the University of Ulster, Dr Andrew Sneddon’s first book, Witchcraft and Whigs: the Life of Bishop Francis Hutchinson, 1660-1739, was published in 2008, while, Possessed by the Devil: The History of the Islandmagee Witches & Ireland's Only Witchcraft Mass Trial was published in 2013 by the History Press. He is currently writing a book for Palgrave Macmillan on Witchcraft and Magic in Ireland over the last 400 years.

John Fulton (University of Ulster) is currently pursuing a PhD in history with a thesis exploring attitudes to the supernatural in Enlightenment Ireland.

Cara Hanley’s (University of Ulster) doctoral research explores the cultural representations of witchcraft in eighteenth and nineteenth century England.

Jodie Shevlin (University of Ulster) is undertaking a PhD exploring popular and elite attitudes to ghosts, fairies and demonic possession within nineteenth-century, Irish Catholicism.

Please contact PRONI at proni@dcalni.gov.uk to book your place.
WHEN: 31st October 2013
WHERE: PRONI
HOW MUCH?: Admission is FREE but booking is essential


COMMENT: I would love to go to this - I have recently found that I have family from Islandmagee and have only recently been chasing up on the peninsula's history  (I've ordered a history book about the area 2 days ago!).     Not sure what this is in my throat that is making me *cough* just now, ahem *cough* sorry about this folks, possibly a fur ball... **PRONI's YouTube channel**... ahem... ahh, cleared it now! There are so many good events happening these days, it would be good to try to get a few more of them back onto PRONI's YouTube again for those who are slightly geographically challenged like myself!!! (End of hint/plea!)

(With thanks to Gavin McMahon!)

Chris

My wife Claire is planning to swim from the Scottish island of Cumbrae to the town of Largs on September 14th to raise money for local charity Gillian's Saltire Appeal, providing respite for families affected by cancer (Claire's mum and sister in Ireland have previously come through cancer, whilst my mum, based in England, currently has bladder cancer). Her Just Giving sponsorship page, with further details, is at http://www.justgiving.com/Claire-Paton1. If you can help to sponsor her, even by a wee amount, we'd be very grateful - many thanks!