In 1590, James VI and his bride Anne of Denmark were believed to have fallen victim to a coven of witches gathered at North Berwick, who had tried to sink James’s ship by raising a storm. For a king who believed his own courtiers were plotting against him, it was presumably easier to deal with supernatural agents than genuinely threatening ones. The anonymous pamphlet, News from Scotland, from which this extract comes, was probably published in late 1591, following the alleged witches’ trials, and is thought to have been written by James Carmichael, minister of Haddington, who was possibly present at the proceedings. It is a fine piece of propaganda, prurience and prejudice, and shows the anxious atmosphere in which preposterous witchcraft accusations could be taken seriously. Some of it is fiction, but much is taken from the victims’ depositions and testimonies, and it is the main piece of written evidence of the varieties of torture used to extract confessions, most awful of which was ‘the boots’. Such details were absent from court records. In showing how Geillis Duncan was made to confess, it offers the only account of the origin of the protracted North Berwick witchhunt.
Within the town of Tranent in the kingdom of Scotland there dwelleth one David Seton, who, being deputy bailiff in the said town, had a maidservant called Geillis Duncan, who used secretly to be absent and to lie forth of her master’s house every other night. This Geillis Duncan took in hand to help all such as were troubled or grieved with any kind of sickness or infirmity, and in short space did perform many matters most miraculous. Which things, forasmuch as she began to do them upon a sudden, never having done the like before, made her master and others to be in great admiration, and wondered thereat. By means whereof the said David Seton had his maid in some great suspicion that she did not those things by natural and lawful ways, but rather supposed it to be done by some extraordinary and unlawful means.
Whereupon her master began to grow very inquisitive, and examined her which way and by what means she was able to perform matters of so great importance; whereat she gave him no answer. Nevertheless, her master, to the intent that he might be better try and find out the truth of the same, did with the help of others torment her with the torture of the pilliwinks [thumbscrews] upon her fingers, which is a grievous torture, and binding or wrinching her head with a cord or rope, which is a most cruel torment also, yet would she not confess anything. Whereupon they, suspecting that she had been marked by the devil (as commonly witches are), made diligent search about her, and found the enemy’s mark to be in her fore-crag, or forepart of her throat; which being found, she confessed that all her doings was done by the wicked allurements and enticements of the devil, and that she did them by witchcraft.
After her confession, she was committed to prison where she continued for a season; where immediately she accused these persons following to be notorious witches, and caused them forthwith to be apprehended one after another: viz. Agnes Sampson, the eldest of them all, dwelling in Haddington, Agnes Tompson of Edinburgh, Doctor Fian, alias John Cunningham, master of the school at Saltpans in Lothian … with innumerable others in those parts … of whom some are already executed, the rest remain in prison to receive the doom of judgement at the king’s Majesty’s will and pleasure …
This aforesaid Agnes Sampson, which was the elder witch, was taken and brought to Holyroodhouse before the king’s Majesty and sundry other of the nobility of Scotland, where she was straitly examined; but all the persuasions which the king’s Majesty used to her with the rest of his council might not provoke or induce her to confess anything, but stood stiffly in the denial of all that was laid to her charge. Whereupon they caused her to be conveyed away to prison, there to receive such torture as hath been lately provided for witches in that country.
And forasmuch as by due examination of witchcraft and witches in Scotland it hath lately been found that the devil doth generally mark them with a privy mark, by reason the witches have confessed themselves that the devil doth lick them with his tongue in some privy part of their body before he doth receive them to be his servants; which mark commonly is given them under the hair in some part of their body whereby it may not easily be found out or seen, although they be searched. And generally so long as the mark is not seen to those which search them, so long the parties that hath the mark will never confess anything. Therefore by special commandment this Agnes Sampson had all her hair shaven off in each part of her body, and her head thrawn with a rope according to the custom of that country, being a pain most grievous, which she continued almost an hour, during which time she would not confess anything, until the devil’s mark was found upon her privities [genitals]; then she immediately confessed whatsoever was demanded of her, and justifying those persons aforesaid to be notorious witches.
Item, the said Agnes Sampson was after brought again before the king’s Majesty and his council, and being examined of the meetings and detestable dealings of those witches, she confessed that upon the night of Allhollon Even last [Halloween], she was accompanied as well with the persons aforesaid as also with a great many other witches to the number of two hundred; and that all they together went to sea each one in a riddle or sieve, and went in the same very substantially with flagons of wine, making merry and drinking by the way in the same riddles or sieves, to the kirk of North Berwick in Lothian …
Item, the said Agnes Sampson confessed that the devil being then at North Berwick kirk attending their coming in the habit or likeness of a man, and seeing that they tarried over long, he at their coming enjoined them all to a penance, which was that they should kiss his buttocks in sign of duty to him; which being put over the pulpit bare, everyone did as he had enjoined them. And having made his ungodly exhortations, wherein he did greatly inveigh against the king of Scotland, he received their oaths for their good and true service towards him, and departed; which done they returned to sea, and so home again …
The said witches being demanded how the devil would use them when he was in their company, they confessed that when the devil did receive them for his servants, and that they had vowed themselves unto him, then he would carnally use them, albeit to their little pleasure, in respect of his cold nature; and would do so at sundry other times.
As touching the aforesaid Doctor Fian, alias John Cunningham, the examination of his acts since his apprehension declareth the great subtlety of the devil and therefore maketh things to appear the more miraculous. For being apprehended by the accusation of the said Geillis Duncan aforesaid, who confessed he was their register [clerk], and that there was not one man suffered to come to the devil’s readings but only he, the said doctor was taken and imprisoned and used with the accustomed pain provided for those offences, inflicted upon the rest as is aforesaid.
First, by thrawing of his head with a rope, whereat he would confess nothing. Secondly, he was persuaded by fair means to confess his follies, but that would prevail as little. Lastly, he was put to the most severe and cruel pain in the world, called ‘the boots’; who after he had received three strokes, being enquired if he would confess his damnable acts and wicked life, his tongue would not serve him to speak. In respect whereof the rest of the witches willed [suggested] to search his tongue, under which was found two pins thrust up into the head, whereupon the witches did say, ‘Now is the charm stinted [stopped]’, and showed that those charmed pins were the cause he could not confess anything. Then he was immediately released of the boots, brought before the king, his confession was taken, and his own hand willingly set thereunto, which contained as followeth.
First, that at the general meetings of those witches he was always present; that he was clerk to all those that were in subjection to the devil’s service bearing the name of witches; that always he did take their oaths for their true service to the devil, and that he wrote for them such matters as the devil still pleased to command him …
After that the depositions and examinations of the said Doctor Fian alias Cunningham was taken, as already is declared, with his own hand willingly set thereunto, he was by the master of the prison committed to war, and appointed to a chamber by himself, where, forsaking his wicked ways, acknowledging his most ungodly life, showing that he had too much followed the allurements and enticements of Satan, and fondly practised his conclusions by conjuring, witchcraft, enchantments, sorcery, and such like, he renounced the devil and all his wicked works, vowed to lead the life of a Christian, and seemed newly converted towards God …
Nevertheless, the [following] night he found such means that he stole the key of the prison door and chamber in the which he was, which in the night he opened and fled away to the Saltpans … of whose sudden departure when the king’s Majesty had intelligence, he presently commanded diligent inquiry to be made for his apprehension and for the better effecting thereof he sent public proclamations into all parts of his land to the same effect. By means of whose hot and hardy pursuit he was again taken and brought to prison, and then being called before the king’s Highness he was re-examined, as well touching his departure as also touching all that had before happened. But this doctor, notwithstanding that his own confession appeareth remaining in record under his own handwriting … yet did he utterly deny the same.
Yet for more trial of him to make him confess, he was commanded to have a most strange torment which was done in this manner following. His nails upon all his fingers were riven and pulled off with an instrument called in Scottish a ‘turkas’, which in England we call a pair of pincers, and under every nail there was thrust in two needles over even up to the heads. At all which torments notwithstanding the doctor never shrunk any whit, neither would he then confess it the sooner for all the tortures inflicted upon him. Then was he with all convenient speed, by commandment, conveyed again to the torment of the boots, wherein he continued a long time and did abide so many blows in them that his legs were crushed and beaten together as small as might be, and the bones and flesh so bruised that the blood and marrow spouted forth in great abundance, whereby they were made unserviceable for ever. And notwithstanding all these grievous pains and cruel torments he would not confess anything; so deeply had the devil entered into his heart, that he utterly denied all that which he had before avouched, and would say nothing thereunto but this: that what he had done and said before was only done and said for fear of pains which he had endured …
The said Doctor Fian was soon after arraigned, condemned, and adjudged by the law to die, and then to be burned according to the law of that land provided in that behalf. Whereupon he was put into a cart and, being first strangled, he was immediately put into a great fire, being ready provided for that purpose, and there burned in the castle hill of Edinburgh on a Saturday in the end of January last past, 1591. The rest of the witches which are not yet executed remain in prison till further trial, and knowledge of his Majesty’s pleasure.