Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland

Witchcraft

e hellish le

o' Sh

of witchcraft. Active interference in the routine of daily life on the part of the Prince of Darkness and his agencies was fully believed in. The midnight ride, the power of conversion into animal semblance and form, mystic rite and incantation, spells

s of evil and darkness. The more these witches and warlocks were feared in their ordinary guise as human mortals by the country-side or district to which they belonged, the higher the rank accorded to them in secret conclave, and the special notoriety of having been branded or "scored," at the hands of an angry populace, with the sign of the cross on the forehead, carried with it special recognition of itself. Reputed gatherings o

and mystic indication tells of the preliminary signals and signs, announcing that a midni

howlet has th

y cat has thr

yowled three ti

on cowering a

ha'e cruppen' d

ad pyked them o

s a' but

or Locher-br

mestead and cot, where the frightened dwellers huddled and crept together in terror. Over and with higher note than the blast itself, high-pitched eldritch laughter, fleeting and mocking, skirled and shrieked through the air. Then a lull, with a stillne

itches

. Copland,

specially shod with the bones of murdered men, became high mettled and most spirited steeds; but the possession of a bridle, the leather of which was made from the skin of an unbaptised infant, and the iron bits forged at the "smithy" of the Evil One himself, gave to its possessor the power of most potent spell. Only let a witch sha

it may be claimed for Galloway that in the possession of the powerful poem of "Maggie o' the Moss," Ayrs

had that n

ns dreary, da

d her

··

is haunches

m the comma

r Simon, swe

d fast the f

earth's sur

ike gravita

nt bickering

he could ha

' ae han', sy

haud o't a

d up in ga

endicular

··

ken'd she h

cht close to

ad Maggie

e German

Nick and a'

ossed the Br

nicht wi' t

s, Paris,

a stormy

danced on C

something, be it rag-wort, broomstick, kail-runt, hare, cat, or

e of exercising their unholy licence over their several districts and neighbourhoods. This took the form of unchristened "Kain

tes had to undergo, was also a regular part of

ror-stricken, were brought and dragged to the fire, which now sent forth even thicker clouds as if in a measure to screen the secrecy of the rites even from those participating, and scream after scream arose as their naked bodies were stamped with the hellish sign-manual of the order. A powerful soothing ointment was, however, immediately poured on the raw wounds, giving instant

s from the Locharbrigg hill. This so enraged the "Gyre Carline" that over the unruly waters she waved her magic wand, and what was "once a moss and then a sea" became "again a moss and aye will be." At other meetings of less consequence the more important carlines of different districts met together, when schemes of persecution and revenge were evol

itch

treen, I s

ye what I s

pyked out the

the hemlock

her teeth, she

her teeth, she

ar drapt frae

it e'er it wa

a' in her mo

a' in her mo

m owre wi' a bla

bannock an'

weel wi' ae bli

weel wi' ae bli

s thrice she wh

sall skirl er

un gae wi' a

un preach in a

spun for a de

e e'er the san

hat ye sa

hat ye sa

ay gaur thee

what ye sa

ctures. Two of these carlines dispensing the "black art" in the respective parishes of Caerlaverock and Newabbey were in the habit of meeting with each other for such purpose, but the holy men of Sweet

Cromek," as reputed to be told by

i' some!' sae I crap down amang some lang cowes till Luckie cam' back. The boat played bowte again the bank, an out lowpes Kimmer, wi' a pyked naig's head i' her han'. 'Lord be about us!' quo' I, for she cam' straught for me. She howked up a green turf, covered her bane, an' gaed her wa's. When I thought her hame, up I got and pou'd up the bane and haed it. I was fleyed to gae back for twa or three nights, lest the deil's minnie should wyte me for her uncannie boat and lair me 'mang the sludge, or maybe do waur. I gaed back howsever, and on that night o' the moon wha comes to me but Kimmer. 'Rabbin,' quo' she, 'fand ye are auld

nected with Wigtownshi

ny a bonny boat.

. Copland,

-eyed office-bearer (long after) swore that he had detected her spitting out the wafer at the church-door, which he clearly saw swallowed by the devil, who had waited for her outside in the shape of a toad. Again it was asserted that when passing from Barr to Glenluce by the 'Nick o' the Balloch' she encountered a funeral procession, and to pass unseen she changed herself into a beetle; but before she could creep out of the way, a shepherd in the party unwittingly set his foot upon her, and would

ly the dweller in the humble cot on whom the mantle of witchcraft fell, but t

, being cloven-footed, she could not be mistaken. Her consternation was the greater, as one by one she recognised them all, and among them the ladies of the manor. They stopped her, and in her terror she appealed to one of th

y exclaim 'There's anither of the gang gone!' She outlived them all, and then divulged the secret, adding that on that d

f Glenluce. Regarded by the peasantry as a warlock, he was supposed to be here buried with his magic books, and there is a story extant to the effect t

m from more doubtful work, was to spin ropes from sea-sand, and it is yet said that some of the rope fragments may be seen to this day near Ringdoo Point, near the mouth of the Luce, whe

the famous library of Michael Scott, the Warlock. Here are thousands of old witch songs and incantations, books of the 'Black Art,' and 'Necromancy,' 'Philosophy of the Devi

urial-place of the Wizard Michael; but it is with Melrose Abbey, as depicted by Sir Walter Scott in the "La

heart to the

me o'er the gr

f iron hea

ops fell from hi

int of pass

the massy st

··

ir eyes the

d not been

e, for in Dunbar's poem of "The Dream of the Abbot of Tungland" (the "frenziet

south-country witches. They are included in the descripti

olas Grier, others that it was Girzie M'Clegg, but it matters little which now. Some of Lucky's favourite pastimes were, drowning anyone she had a spite at by sinking a caup in the yill-boat in her kitchen; sucking cows in the

hich gives it a distinction something akin to the better-known tradition

ongst those engaged in the 'dance o' witches' were several old women of his acquaintance, amongst whom was the landlady of the public-house where he had spent the greater part of the evening, and which he had just left. Horrified with such desecration of the sacred edifice, and unable longer to restrain his displeasure, Forester shouted, 'Ho! ho! Lucky, ye'll no deny this the morn!' knocking at the same instant against the window frame with his whip. In a moment the lights were extinguished, and the witches with loud yells rushed out of the church after him; but the laird, having gained his horse, went off at a furious gallop for the ford on the Ken, his pursu

and what is supposed to be the circle drawn

t through the flesh, the destruction of soul and body. There is no better reference to this than in the local traditional tale of the "Laird of Logan" of Allan Cunningham, whe

whilst thou runnest in thy native fountain, neither can ought unholy abide thy touch, thus consecrated-as thou art the emblem of God, go and do His good work. Amen.' So saying he turned suddenly round and dashed the cupful of water in the face and bosom of the young lady-fell on his knees and bowed his head in prayer. She uttered scream upon scream; her complexion changed; her l