Houston,Isobell
Case Reference: C/EGD/743
Case Summary
| Case Ref | C/EGD/743 |
|---|---|
| Accused | Isobell Houston |
| Case Start Date | 19/4/1699 |
| Case Date | 12/3/1700 |
| Common Name | Houston,Isobell |
|---|
Characterisation
| Type | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| Demonic Possession | ✓ | ✓ |
| Maleficium | — | ✓ |
| Neighbourhood Dispute | — | ✓ |
Notes: she was accused of causing tormentings of Margaret Laird and of stealing milk with sympathetic magic, as well as of cursing followed by harm. See Agnes Supp for description of the tormenting/possesion.
| Elphane/Fairyland | — |
|---|---|
| Food/Drink | — |
| Verbal Formulae | — |
| Ritual Acts | — |
| Familiars | — |
| Shape Changing | ✓ |
|---|---|
| Dreams/Visions | — |
| Unorthodox Religious Practice | — |
| Sympathetic Magic | ✓ |
| Riding Dead | — |
Notes: Very interesting description of a sympathetic magic ritual. She was accused of holding a leather strap as if she were milking a cow. This action supposedly magically took the cows milk from her neighbour, thereby increasing her output and destroying her neighbours milk/dairy output.
Shape Changing
| Type | Details |
|---|---|
| Apparition | at the foot of a man's bed |
Ritual Objects
- Leather Strap
- Wax/clay images
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 | — |
Property Damage Types
- Dairy
| Name | Title | Involvement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Brisbane | Mr | Investigator |
| Source | Reference | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Books of Adjournal | JC3/1 f. 89 | |
| Circuit Court Books | JC10/4 part 3 | |
| Process Notes | JC26/81 f. 9 | dittay dated 21/4/1699 |
Trials (1)
| Trial Ref | Date | Year | Verdict | Sentence | Execution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T/LA/1233 | 12/3/1700 | 1700 | Released | No |
Case Notes
Denounced by Margaret Laird in Paisley, a girl who claimed to be tormented by witches. Laird denounced many people while in fits. Most of the witness testimony was given in Paisley (19-21 April 1699) and it came from people who witnessed Laird's fits and denunciations among other things.