witchcraft investigation of 14 unnamed witches C/LA/3038 (Q120790486)
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historical event recorded in 16th-18th century Scotland
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | witchcraft investigation of 14 unnamed witches C/LA/3038 |
historical event recorded in 16th-18th century Scotland |
Statements
30 September 1662Gregorian
Christian Cauldwell (sometimes spelled Caddell) alias John Dickson was idicted as a common oppressor for dressing as a man and acting as a witchpricker. She pretended to be a burgess from Forfar. She was held in the tolbooth of Edinburgh 30 Aug. 1662 and interrogated by the justice deputes. She mentioned two unnamed people she accused of witchcraft and many from six counties. (Estimate 2 witches from each county plus 2 for a total of 14 unnamed witches.) As a man she contracted with officials in Moray to be their witch pricker for one year. She was paid 6 shillings a day and £6 for every witch who was found guilty. She travelled and worked with a woman named Issobell Dick. She claimed she could tell witches by sight, by looking into their eyes and that she learned her skill by watching John Kincaid, a witch pricker active in the Lothians. She was accused of pricking 'many of his majesties leiges' in the sheriffdoms of Elgin, Forres, Nairn, Inverness, Ross and Sutherland. (English)