Hellfire and Witchcraft in the Crook of Devon

The road toward witchcraft in seventeenth century Scotland ran steeply downhill, and especially in the Crook Of Devon. It began by being just a little different. Perhaps someone was not intimidated by the threat of hellfire or didn’t feel sufficiently guilty about being a sinner or afraid enough to eschew enjoyment. Take Agnes Murie of Kilduff, for example. She was unmarried, tended her own small plot of land, and imbibed in snuff. These behaviors were not acceptable for women of the time.

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Scotland was a country that took its religion seriously and the Devil more seriously still. Any behavior out of step with the Scottish Kirk (church) was suspect. Post Reformation, Scottish religion was strictly Calvinistic. It heavily emphasized sin and encouraged a climate of fear. Politics and religion were intertwined. England favored a more Anglican religion as opposed to Scotland’s Calvinistic bent. This resulted in multiple wars and a great deal of political intrigue. The religious and political turmoil of the period made anxiety rife, but the Scottish Kirk found it convenient to fan the flames as a means of control. Agnes used snuff partly as a way to control her anxiety.

A Very Restrictive Culture

Being out of step with the Kirk was alarmingly easy. Agnes (and everyone else) was expected to wear only dun colored clothing, not to dance or sing, not to laugh too loudly or too often, not to eat special foods or celebrate any sort of special occasion. Unfortunately, Agnes was known to speak loudly at times, especially when she stood up for herself. She was once given a bouquet of wildflowers chosen for their color rather than their healing properties. Such a bouquet, chosen for enjoyment alone, was known to open the door for the Devil. Everyone knew that an open door to the Devil led to witchcraft. Margaret Lister, the neighbor who had given her the bouquet in trade for a fresh hen egg, was now also suspect.

In the 1600’s, the dividing line between religion, magic, and science was quite blurred. Folk in small hamlets across the Scottish countryside had no access to the few University trained physicians. Physicians lived only in large cities like Edinburgh. Kilduff, where Agnes lived, consisted of a cluster of ten cottages. She relied on herbal knowledge and folklore in times of ill health. Like most women, Agnes knew how to cure everyday ailments and kept common herbs on hand. In a more serious situation, a charmer (healer) like Margaret had to be consulted.

Healers Walked a Tightrope

Margaret’s role as the local charmer involved midwifery and healing animals as well as people. Most charmers, like Margaret, were women. They could be widows or spinsters needing a source of income. Sometimes they were merely kind-hearted. Margaret knew special herbs and concoctions, along with ancient rhymes that had been sanitized with a sprinkling of Christian references. She also made surreptitious use of water from a holy well, a special stone, or a braided colored thread to strengthen her charms. Such enhancements to her herbs had to be kept secret from the Kirk. No matter how effective they might be, they were considered Popish and thus highly suspicious. If a cure failed, Margaret ran the risk of being accused of invoking a curse by witchcraft.

There were no celebrations in Calvinist Scotland. Even religious holidays were not marked in any way by the Kirk. If Margaret prepared a succulent dinner as a simple treat for her husband Finlay, she risked punishment for both herself as cook and Finlay for partaking of the food. Any small decoration or unusual article of clothing was forbidden. Margaret and Agnes sang only at waulking sessions where men were not present. The Kirk turned a blind eye to these songs because the rhythm was essential to the working of the wool. A soft lullaby for an infant might be overlooked. However, in general, any expression of joy was strongly discouraged.

Four Hour Church Services In the Crook Of Devon Were Full of Hellfire and Brimstone

Agnes and Margaret attended the Tullibole Kirk in the nearby village of Crook of Devon. Tullibole Kirk was an austere building made of stone with a thatched roof. It had hard benches and no heating in the harsh winters or cooling in the muggy hot days. Services took four or more hours. There were often two sermons and a number of Biblical readings. Everyone was required to attend unless seriously ill. Services had a heavy emphasis on being vigilant against sin. Even during the prayers in the Kirk, fear of the Lord and acts of repentance were more emphasized than expressing joy in the Lord.

The social and economic structure of Scottish villages was tightly woven. All the neighbors knew immediately about an infraction like Agnes’s flowers. The Kirk elders were also local residents, so an accusation for an infraction was usually prompt. Agnes had to appear for examination in front of these local elders, who also meted out punishment. Since Agnes’s flowers were her first infraction, and it was a small one, she was punished merely by standing upon the Kirk bench rather than sitting. Kirk services were long, and Agnes had to stand still and attentive the entire time, so this was more difficult than it might sound. Agnes did not reveal that Margaret had given her the flowers, so Margaret was not punished.

It Sucked to be a Woman

Women were more often punished than men, though a man would be punished for drunkenness, physical fighting, working on the Sabbath, or sexual infidelity. Perhaps women incurred more frequent punishment because they were more verbal. Women who were found guilty of false accusations, making threats, being quarrelsome, or mouthing insults were constrained by the scold’s bridle, a metal device like a cage which enclosed the head and pierced the tongue. Margaret incurred the scold’s bridle for insulting a male neighbor. Her tongue was never the same.

A more serious offense, such as public drunkenness or an accusation of cheating in an economic transaction, could involve being seated barefoot in sackcloth on a high backless stool, known as the Stool of Repentance. The stool was located in the front of the Kirk to be stared at by all. Congregants saw any movement or lapse of attention. Margaret had to do this for four weeks after she baked a forbidden Lammas loaf for her husband, Finlay. Although Finlay ate the loaf, he only had to stand on his bench two weeks. Margaret, the woman, was blamed as the temptress.

Punishment

Margaret was lucky not to be chained to the outside wall of the Kirk with a metal collar around her neck that prevented her from moving.

Her plaid would have been taken away so that she was in full view of all who entered or left the Kirk. Petty thieves might have an ear pinned to the townhouse door, or be locked in stocks in the public square, where they were subject to insults and thrown objects. Because reputation was so important in small communities, the public humiliation of such punishments made them highly effective.

Margaret and Agnes never committed major offenses such as serious theft. Those who did were marked by a shaven head and public whipping and/or imprisonment. This could be followed by banishment. Since establishing residence in a village required a letter from the clergy of prior residence attesting to the good character of the person in question, establishing a new life after banishment was highly problematic.

Charged with Murdering Your Infant? Blame the Midwife

The greatest punishment, reserved for murderers and witches, was death. Women sometimes had stillbirths or young babies who died. A popular way to avoid infanticide charges was to accuse their midwives of witchcraft.

As the political threats to the Scottish Kirk by the English increased, accusations of witchcraft multiplied. Rooting out witches could spiritually ‘cleanse’ the community and lower the mood of general anxiety for a time. This was seen, ironically, as protecting Christian morality and safeguarding the community to stay in God’s good graces.

A Bad Medical Outcome? Blame the Healer

Agnes complained to her neighbor Henry about how he prepared her fields for planting. When he argued back, she dropped her complaint and invited him in to share snuff. Shortly after he went back home, he suffered a stroke which debilitated one side of his body and hampered his ability to speak. Henry’s wife Janet accused Agnes of cursing her husband in anger about the field.

Any unfortunate circumstance could be tied to the actions or emotions of an adversary. Margaret cured a young man of epileptic fits. Two years later the young man argued with her. His fits returned, worse than ever. In the minds of his parents, Margaret had clearly cursed him.

Once Accused, the Woman was Toast. Literally.

Once a person was accused of witchcraft, they were tortured until they confessed. Then they were tried as confessed witches, convicted, and strangled and burnt. Torture could be the application of physically painful devices, but it most often consisted of severe prolonged sleep and food deprivation in conjunction with being kept constantly moving. Both Agnes and Margaret were subjected to this. They were repeatedly questioned in leading ways, and kept away from sunlight so that the passage of time could not be marked.

Nearly all suspects were eventually broken under this system. Agnes and Margaret confessed to whatever suggestions the questioners had implanted in their minds. As soon as their confessions had been obtained, the officials in Edinburgh consented to a trial. The jury consisted of some who had questioned them during their torture. Their confessions precluded them being found innocent. Agnes Murie was burned as a witch in Crook of Devon on April 4, 1662. Margaret Lister was burned as a witch on April 24, 1662.

It Paid to be an Accuser. Literally.

The assets of anyone convicted of witchcraft became the property of local officials to defray the costs of the trial and burning. Anything extra could be given out as the officials saw fit. Agnes’s land was given to her accusers, Henry and Janet. Such acquisitions provided one of the motivations for witchcraft accusations, although most of the accused were too poor for material gain. Those who were wealthy enough to be of economic interest were usually also influential enough to avoid being accused. They were often elders themselves or had influence with them.

In the Crook of Devon, Witchcraft was a handy way to rid the community of anyone who was contentious or who thwarted the teaching of the Kirk. Unfortunately, it eliminated kind-hearted healers, beauty loving individuals, and those who simply wanted a little joy in their lives. Then, as now, being out of step with those who held the reins of power was a dangerous business. Those reins were particularly tight in seventeenth century Scotland.