Alexander,Margaret
Case Reference: C/EGD/737
Case Summary
| Case Ref | C/EGD/737 |
|---|---|
| Accused | Margaret Alexander |
| Case Start Date | 19/4/1699 |
| Case Date | 12/3/1700 |
| Common Name | Alexander,Margaret |
|---|
Characterisation
| Type | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| Demonic Possession | — | ✓ |
| Maleficium | — | ✓ |
| Neighbourhood Dispute | — | ✓ |
| Refused Charity | ✓ | ✓ |
Notes: She seems to have been a troublesome woman, asking for charity and doing lots of cursing and offensive gestures. Lots of muttering after refused charity. She begging at people's homes and at an Abbey in Paisley. Accused of causing an undescribed tormenting.
| Elphane/Fairyland | — |
|---|---|
| Food/Drink | — |
| Verbal Formulae | — |
| Ritual Acts | — |
| Familiars | — |
| Shape Changing | ✓ |
|---|---|
| Dreams/Visions | — |
| Unorthodox Religious Practice | — |
| Sympathetic Magic | — |
| Riding Dead | — |
Notes: She was offered a dollar for appeasement. Lots of muttering and curses.
Shape Changing
| Type | Details |
|---|---|
| Apparition | in someone's bed |
| In Dream | curses in a dream |
Harm
| Human Illness | ✓ |
|---|---|
| Human Death | — |
| Animal Illness | — |
| Animal Death | — |
| Female Infertility | — |
| Male Impotence | — |
Methods
| Aggravating Disease | — |
|---|---|
| Transferring Disease | — |
| Laying On | — |
| Quarreling | ✓ |
| Cursing | ✓ |
| Poisoning | — |
Healing / Other
| Removal of Bewitchment | — |
|---|---|
| Recognised Healer | — |
| Healing Humans | ✓ |
| Healing Animals | — |
| Midwifery | — |
| Property Damage | — |
| Weather Modification | — |
Disease Notes: mostly curses and illnesses. She cursed someone at a like-wake. She stuck her tongue out after making curses.
- Candlemas
- Appeasement
| Source | Reference | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Books of Adjournal | JC3/1 f. 89 | |
| Process Notes | JC26/81 f. 9 | dittay dated 21/4/1699 |
| Circuit Court Books | JC10/4 part 3 |
Trials (1)
| Trial Ref | Date | Year | Verdict | Sentence | Execution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T/LA/1235 | 12/3/1700 | 1700 | Released | No |
Case Notes
Denounced by Margaret Laird in Paisley, and Margaret Murdoch in Govan. Both girls claimed to be tormented by witches. Laird and Murdoch denounced many people while in fits. Most of the witness testimony was given in Paisley (19-21 April 1699, from Laird) and Glasgow (22 April 1699 from Murdoch). Testimony came from people who witnessed Laird's fits and denunciations among other things.