Wharrie,Janet

Case Reference: C/JO/3025

Case Summary
Case RefC/JO/3025
AccusedJanet Wharrie
Case Start Date21/9/1697
Case Date7/11/1699
Common NameWharrie,Janet
Characterisation
TypePrimarySecondary
Maleficium ✓ ✓
Neighbourhood Dispute — ✓

Notes: Wharrie took the case herself to presbytery. She tied to prove that the witnesses had malice against her. Witnesses claimed that she had cursed them after they had refused to help her with ploughing or prevented her from crossing their land. It seems that the presbytery were not convinced by Wharrie's version but could not really do much with her.

Elphane/Fairyland—
Food/Drink—
Verbal Formulae✓
Ritual Acts—
Familiars—
Shape Changing—
Dreams/Visions—
Unorthodox Religious Practice—
Sympathetic Magic—
Riding Dead—

Notes: It was cliamed that she cursed and swore at her victims.

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: Witnesses claimed she cursed and uttered an 'ill prayer' that a neighbour's wife 'would have many a bloody day'. Also cows would vomit their grass or rowt/rout (bellow) to death. Also wished a man to take the glengore (syphilis).

Other Maleficia Notes: Wharrie asked neighbours to help with ploughing. When they refused they claimed she cursed their beasts and ploughs so that they could not use them to plough their own rigs.

Property Damage Types
  • Animals
  • Plough

  • Grudge

NameTitleInvolvementNotes
Robert Paton MrInvestigator
John Somerville MrInvestigator
Alexander Veitch MrInvestigator

SourceReferenceNotes
Dumfries Presbytery recordsCH2/1284/4, pp. 99, 101, 102,108, 178.
Trials (1)
Trial RefDateYearVerdictSentenceExecution
T/JO/1290 No