[Satan’s Invisible World Contents]
HOMAS WEIR, one of the most celebrated Wizards of Scotland, was born near Lanark, in Clydesdale. Of his father, or grandfather, mention is made in the ‘Memoirs of the Somerville Family, written by James, eleventh Lord Somerville,’ (Edited, with Illustrative Notes, by Sir Walter Scott, and published in 1815, 2 vols. 8vo), who, recording a proffer of alliance tendered by Lockhart of Lee to Gilbert, ninth Lord Somerville, whose daughter Lockhart wished to secure as a wife to his eldest son, says, ‘It was supposed that Thomas Weir of Kirktoune, Lee’s own brother-in-law, was both the traytor that betrayed, and the person that obstructed the going on of this marriage.’ The proofs of Weir’s treachery respecting the marriage, and also the sale of Lord Somerville’s estate to the Earl of Marr, may be found in the second volume of the Memoirs, pp. 73-77. Weir, the wizard, was a lieutenant in the Puritanical army sent by the Scottish Covenanting Estates in 1641, to assist in suppressing the Irish papists.1 He was also an eminent promoter of the ‘Western Remonstrance,’ in the year 1650, and it is recorded, ‘To these principles he stuck as close, as to the Devil himself; insomuch, that when the government of the Church was restored, he avowedly renounced the communion of it, and endeavoured to widen the schism to the utmost of his power. He could not so much as endure to look upon an Orthodox Minister; but when he met any of them in the street, he would pull his hat over his eyes in a Pharisaical kind of indignation and contempt.’
In the years 1649-50 he had the great trust of the ‘Guards of the City of Edinburgh’ committed unto him under the quality of Major, and from that time to the day of his infamous death, was always called by the name of Major Weir. ‘He behaved himself in this office with great cruelty and insolence towards the Loyal party, being very active in discovering and apprehending the Cavaliers, and bringing them to be arraigned and tried for their lives. He used to insult and triumph over them in their miseries, and persecute them with all manner of sarcasms and reproaches, when they were led out like victims to public execution. In particular, the barbarous villain treated the Heroic Marquess of Montrose, with all imaginable insolence and inhumanity, when he lay in prison, making his very calamities an argument, that God, as well as man, had forsaken him, and calling him Dog, Atheist, Traytor, Apostate, Excommunicate Wretch, and many more such intolerable names. This cruel manner after which he used to outrage the poor Royalists, passed among the people for extraordinary zeal; and made them consider him as a singular worthy whom God had raised up to support the Cause. He studied the art of dissimulation, and Hypocrisie, always affecting a formal gravity and demureness in his looks and deportment, and employing a vast and tenacious memory which God had given him, in getting without Book such words, and phrases of the Holy Scriptures, as might serve best in all companies to make him pass for an Holy and gifted man. He had acquired a particular gracefulness in whining and sighing, above any of the sacred clan, and had learned to deliver himself upon all serious occasions in a far more ravishing accent than any of their Ministers could attain unto. By these and other Hypocritical arts he had got such a name for sanctity, and devotion, that happy was the man with whom he would converse, and blessed was the family in which he would vouchsafe to pray. For he pretended to pray only in the families of such as were Saints of the highest form; insomuch, that the Brethren and Sisters of these precincts would strive who should have him to exercise in their houses, and of those that lived at a greater distance, some would come forty or fifty miles to have the happiness to hear him pray. He had indeed a wonderful fluency in extemporary Prayer, and what through Enthusiastical phrases, and what through Extasies, and raptures, into which he would appear transported, he made the amazed people presume he was acted by the spirit of God. Besides praying, he used to exhort, and bless the families in which he prayed; but he never undertook to preach in them, for fear of invading the Ministerial Providence; which certainly would have offended the Kirk!’
This base hypocrite professed wonderful sanctity; he was known as one of the ‘Bowhead Saints,’ and used to pray in House-Conventicles; though it appears, that he partially accommodated himself to the Prelatic rulers. According to a contemporary account, ‘His garb was still a cloak, and somewhat dark, and he never went without his staff. He was a tall black man, and ordinarily looked down to the ground; a grim countenance, and a big nose. At length he became so notoriously regarded among the Presbyterian strict sect, that if four met together, be sure Major Weir was one. He had got himself the privilege, under a pretence of praying and exhortation, to go to their houses, and into their bed-chambers when he pleased; and it was his practice to visit married women at such times especially as their husbands were from home. At private meetings he prayed to admiration, which made many of that stamp court his converse. Many resorted to his house to join with him, and hear him pray; but it was observed that he could not officiate in any holy duty without the black staff, or rod, in his hand, and leaning upon it, which made those who heard him pray admire his flood in prayer, his ready extemporary expression, his heavenly gesture; so that he was thought more angel than man, and was termed by some of the holy sisters ordinarily Angelical Thomas!’ He never married; but for many years he dwelt along with his sister, Grizel Weir, in a house near to the Bow Head of Edinburgh. After this manner, and in this mighty reputation, he lived till the year 1670, which was the 70th year of his age. After a life characterised externally by all the graces of devotion, but polluted in secret by crimes of the most revolting nature, and which little needed the addition of wizardry to excite the horror of living men, Major Weir fell stricken, it would appear, with insanity, which affected his mind so much, that he was no longer able to endure the remorse of his awakened conscience; but to ease the inquietudes of his guilty mind was forced to accuse himself, which he first of all did among those of his own party, and desired them to bring him to public justice to expiate for his abominable crimes. But they, considering what a confounding scandal, and dishonour the hypocrisy of such an eminent professor would reflect upon the whole sect, did with all possible care and industry strive to conceal the Major’s condition, which they did for several months, till one of their own ministers, whom they esteemed more forward than wise, revealed the secret to Sir Andrew Ramsay, Lord Abbotshall, then Provost of Edinburgh, who judging human nature uncapable of such horrid crimes, as the minister told him the Major had confessed, concluded he was fallen into a phrenzy, or high degree of melancholy, and therefore courteously sent some physicians of his own perswasion and acquaintance to visit him, and physic him for his distempered brain. But the physicians returning to the Provost, assured him that the Major was in good health, and that he was free of hypochondriac distempers, and had as sound intellectuals as ever he had had, and that they believed his distemper was only an exulcerated conscience, which could not be eased till he was brought to condign punishment, as with cryings and roarings he desired to be. Afterwards, the Provost, for his further satisfaction, sent some Conventicle-Ministers to enquire into his condition, and make a report thereof; who, finding it impossible to disguise the matter, which was now town-talk, told his Lordship that the Major was not affected with melancholy; but that the terrors of God which were upon his soul, urged him to confess and accuse himself. The Provost thereupon began to conclude, that he had good grounds to take public notice of this affair; and therefore, without further enquiry, sent the guards of the city to seize upon the major and his sister Jean, who was involved in his confessions, and carry them both to the public gaol.
It is recorded – ‘When they were seized, she desired the guards to keep him from laying hold on a certain staff, which, she said, if he chanced to get into his hands he would certainly drive them all out of doors, notwithstanding all the resistance they could make.’ This magical staff was all of one piece, with a crooked head of thornwood. She said he received it of the Devil, and did many wonderful things with it, particularly that he used to lean upon it in his hypocritical prayers; and after they were committed, she still desired it might be kept from him; because if he were once master of it again, he would certainly grow obdurate, and retract the confession which he had so publicly made. She also confessed in prison, ‘that she and her brother had made a compact with the Devil; and that on the 7th of September 1648 they were both transported from Edinburgh to Musselburgh, and back again, in a coach and six horses, which seemed all of fire, and that the Devil then told the Major of the defeat of our army at Preston in England; which he confidently reported in most of its circumstances several days before the news had arrived here. This prediction did much increase the high opinion the people began to have of him, and served him to make them believe that, like Moses, he had been with God in the Mount, and had a spirit of prophecy, as well as of prayer. But as for herself, she said, she never received any other benefit by her commerce with the Devil, than a constant supply of an extraordinary quantity of yarn, which she was sure (she said) to find ready for her upon the spindle, whatever business she had been about.’
When in the gaol they were visited by persons of all sorts and qualities, Clergymen, Laymen, Physicians, Lawyers, Conforming and Non-Conforming Ministers, who all flocked thither to see this monster, and discourse with him about his horrible crimes.
While the wretched man lay in prison, he made no scruple to disclose the particulars of his guilt, but refused to address himself to the Almighty for pardon, ‘He acknowledged his hypocrisie, by which he had deluded men and mocked God, declaring that in all his life he had never prayed to God in private, nor had he any power to speak when he attempted to do it; although he had such an extraordinary and charming utterance in his solemn conventicle-prayers. He also confessed that he never bowed his knee to God at his own, or other men’s prayers; and none of his own party can remember that at any devotion, even when he seemed most rapturous, they ever saw him kneel… All the while he was in prison he lay under violent apprehension of the heavy wrath of God, which put him into that which is properly called despair; a despair which made him hate God, and desist from duty to him, and with which the damned souls in hell are reasonably supposed to be constantly affected. In this sense he was desperate, and therefore would admit neither Church, nor Conventicle-Ministers to pray for him, or discourse with him about the infinite mercy of God, and the possibility of the forgiveness of his sins. Much less could he endure to be exhorted to repent, or be brought to entertain any thought of repentance, telling all the world, that he had sinned himself beyond all possibility of repentance, and pardon; that he was already damned, that he was sure his condemnation to eternal burnings was already pronounced in heaven, and that the united prayers of all the saints in heaven and earth would be vain, and insignificant, if they were offered to God in his behalf. So that when some charitable ministers of the city, by name the present Bishop of Galloway, and present Dean of Edinburgh, were resolved to pray before him for his repentance, and pardon, against his consent, he was with much difficulty withheld from interrupting of them in their devotions, and the posture he put himself in when they began to pray, was to lye upon his bed in a most stupid manner, with his mouth wide open; and when prayers were ended, being asked if he had heard them and attended to them, he told them, “They were very troublesome, and cruel to him, and that he neither heard their devotions, nor cared for it, nor could be the better for all the prayers that Men or Angels could offer up to heaven upon his account.” It was his interest to believe there was no God; and therefore to ease the torments of his mind, he attempted now and then to comfort, and flatter up himself into this absurd belief. For he was sometimes observed to speak very doubtfully about his existence; in particularly to say, that if it were not for the terrors which he found tormenting him within, he should scarce believe there was a God.
Being with great tenderness and compassion besought by one of the city ministers, that he would not so resolvedly destroy himself, by dispairing of God’s mercy, which upon repentance had been granted to Murtherers, Adulterers, Sodomists, Bestialists, nay, to those that had denyed Christ; he replyed in anger, “Trouble me no more with your beseeching of me to repent, for I know my sentence of damnation is already sealed in Heaven, and I feel myself so hardned within, that if I might obtain pardon of God, and all the Glories of Heaven for a single wish that I had not committed the sins, with the sence whereof I am so tormented, yet I could not prevail with myself to make that single wish. And were your soul in my soul’s stead, you would find your exhortations impertinent, and troublesome, for I find nothing within me but blackness and darkness, Brimstone, and burning to the bottom of Hell.”
They had not been long in prison before they were brought to Trial, which was on the 9th April 1670. They were tried before that learned civilian Mr. William Murray, and Mr. John Prestoune, Advocates, who were made Judges by commission for that time. They were prosecuted by his Majesty’s Advocate, Sir John Nisbett, and the Jury by whom they were tried was Gideon Shaw, Stationer; James Penderer, Vintner; James Thomson, Feltmaker; Robert Brown, Stationer; James Brown, Feltmaker; Robert Johnston, Skinner; John Clighorn, merchant; with many more sufficient Citizens of Edinburgh. The Court being set, the Libel or Indictment against the Major was read. After setting forth his disgusting crimes, under four different heads, it proceeds thus: – “It is no small aggravation, if anie can be, of so great wickedness and impietie, that being guiltie and conscious to himself of so great hyneous abominations, and being altogidder void of religione and fear of God, he hade the confidence, or rather impudence, to pretend to fear God in a singular and eminent way, and did make professione of strickness, pietie, and puritie, beyond others; and did presume and tak upon you to pray publickly in many companies, and in the houses of youre friends, neighbours, and acquaintances; and did affect, and hade the reputation and character of a pious and devot man, thereby endeavouring to conceale and palliate his villainies, and to abuse and impose upon the world, and to mocke God himself, as if his all-seeing eye could not see through the slender veill of hypocrisie and formalitie, and could not discover and lay open to the view of the world so great and flagitious lewdnes in its own colours, in which it does now appear.” It is stated that, “All which crimes particulariz’d in manner aforesaid, he acknowledg’d judicially at the Bar.”2 But “the Lord Advocate called for further probation.” The proof led against him, as to many points, was drawn from his own confessions. The witnesses were “John Oliphant, William Johnston, and Archibald Hamilton, Bailies, i.e., Aldermen of Edinburgh; also Margaret Weir, his sister, Anne Simpson, Archibald Nisbett, Writer to the Signet, John Alexander of Leith; and Maister John Sinclare, Minister at Ormistoune,3 aged fiftie years or thereby, married, sworne, depones, that yesterday Major Weir having sent for him, and that the Major told him he was to speak his conscience to him, and make a frie confessione, and that the Major did accordinglie confess unto him that he was guilty of Adultrie, Incest, &c., and desired the deponer to pray for him as a persone guiltie of the said grievous crymes; and farder declares, that after the Major was brought down out of the Tolbuith, and the deponer being desired to retier with him to the little roum before the Toune’s Councill hous, he did confess again, &c., and the deponer having asked him if he had seen the Deivell, he answered, that any fealling he ever hade of him was in the dark; and this is treuth, &c.” The process being thus ended the jury did unanimously find the Major guilty of Incest with his sister, and bestiality with a Mare, and a Cow, and found him guilty of Adultery and Fornication by a plurality of votes. Whereupon the deputed Judges sentenced him to be strangled at a stake betwixt Edinburgh and Leith, on Monday following, the 11th of April, and his body to be burnt to ashes – a sentence executed at the Galla-lee, where, however, it would seem, that this miserable wretch was actually burned alive. This shameful circumstance is thus recorded, “That the body of this unclean Beast gave manifest tokens of its impurity, as soon as it began to be heated by the flames. In the flames along with him was consumed his conjuring staff, carved with heads like those of Satyrs, without which he could not pray, nor work many of his other diabolical feats. Whatever incantation was in it, the persons present own that it gave rare turnings, and was long a-burning, as also himself.” ’4
The sum of the Libel against Jane Weir, his sister, ‘is reduceable to two heads. First, to the charge of incest, which she committed with her brother, and, Secondly, to the charge of Sorcery, and Witchcraft, but most especially of consulting Witches, Necromancers, and Devils; and yet more particularly for keeping and conversing with a familiar spirit, while she lived at Dalkeith, which used to spin extraordinary quantities of yarn for her, in a shorter time than three or four women could have done the same.’ When the case came to trial, the proof against her, as to Witchcraft was chiefly her own confession; for she declared, ‘That when she keeped a school at Dalkeith, and teached childering, ane tall woman came to the declarant’s hous when the childering were there; and that she had, as appeared to her, ane chyld upon her back, and one or two at her foot; and that the said woman disyred that the declarant should imploy her to spick for her to the Queen of Farie, and strik and battle in her behalf with the said Queen, (which was her own words); and that the next day ane little woman came to the declarant, and did give her a piece of a tree, or the root of some herb or tree, as she thought, and told her that als long as she had the samen, she wold be able to doe what she should desyre; and then the said woman did lay ane cloth upon the floor near the door, and caused the declarant set her foot upon the samen, and her hand upon the crown of her own head, and caused the declarant repeit these words thrice, viz., “All my cross and trubles goe to the door with the;” which accordinglie she did; and that she gave the woman all the silver she hade, being some few turners, and some meall; and that after the said woman went away, the declarant did spin a verie short tyme, and that she did find more yearne upon her pirne, and good yearne, nor she thought could be spun in so short a tyme; which did so affright the declarant, that she did set bye her wheile, and did shut the door, and did stay within her house for the space of twentie dayes or thereby, and was exceedinglie trubled, and weeped becaus she thought what she had done in manner forsaid was in effect the renuncing of her baptisme; and being interrogate, If she knowes anything if her brother had any correspondence with the deivell? declares that she hes been of a long tyme jealous of him that he hade, bot knows noe certaintie; bot sex or seven years since or thereby, she and her brother having went to visit David Livingstone, wheill-wryht in Dalkeith, as they were in use to doe diverse tymes of befor, and her brother having desyred her to claw his back, she found upon his shoulder, as she thinks the right shoulder, a mark lyk that which they call the divell’s mark; and that when she found it she was affrighted.’ As for probation against Jane Weir, the Lord Advocate insisted on her own declaration, and all the depositions, in which as a party she was involved. All of which she judicially confessed in the face of the Court. The jury unanimously brought her in guilty of Incest with her brother. Whereupon the Judges condemned her to be hanged on the Tuesday following in the Grassmarket of Edinburgh.
In ‘LAMONT’S DIARY,’5 it is recorded, ‘1670, Apr. 11. One Major Weyer, who lived in Edb. who had some allowance from the Towne, for waiting or otherways, being ane old man, about 75 or 76 yeirs of age, was brunt att the Gallo-lay, betwixt Leith and Edb. for incest with his sister, beastialitie in laying with beasts, etc. He confest he had lyen with his sister, who was married to another, since she was 16 yeirs of age, and had layin with beasts divers tymes, etc. He was one that had a great profession, and keiped divers of the Conventicals att Edb. He wold not suffer the ministers to spake or pray for him (nether wold he seike God’s mercy; but when he was forced to doe it, he said, ‘and now what better am I?’) And Apr. 12, being Twesday, his sister [Jean] Weyer, being abowt or more then 60 yeirs of age, was hanged att Edb. She confest Incest, Witchcraft, etc. On the scafold she cast away hir mantell, hir gown tayle, and was purposed, as was sayde, to cast of all hir cloaths before all the multitude; bot Baylie Oliphant, to whom the businese was intrusted, stoped the same, and commanded the execwtioner to doe his office. Bot whille he was abowt to throw hir ovir the leather, she smote the execwtioner on the cheike; and hir hands not being tyed when she was throwen ovir, she labored to recover hir selfe, and put in hir head betwixt two of the steps of the leather, and keiped that powster for atyme, till she was put from itt. They dyed both impenitent persons, as was supposed be the standers by.’
ANOTHER ACCOUNT says, ‘As for Jane, this incarnate Devil’s sister, she was very insensible of her great sins, and was so far from remorse of conscience for them, and despairing of the mercy of God, as he did, that she presumed too much upon it; placing a great deal of confidence in her constant adherence to the Covenant, which she called the cause and interest of Christ. She confessed indeed as he did that her sins deserved a worse death than she was condemned to die; but she never shewed herself in the least concerned for what might ensue after death. When she was upon the ladder she bespoke the people concerning her sins, her brother, his conjuring staff, and the Solemn League and Covenant, in the following words, “I see a great croud of People come hither to day to behold a poor old miserable creatures death, but I trow there be few among you, who are weeping and mourning for the broken Covenant;” and having so spoken, she threw herself in greater hast off the ladder, than a person should have done, who was no better prepared for another world.’6
In ‘LAW’S MEMORIALLS,’7 it is recorded, ‘Aprile 12, 1670, was Thomas Weir, commonly called Major Weir, son of Thomas Weir of Kirktoun, put to death at Edinburgh, and brunt for incest with his sister, Jean Weir, laying in it about 40 yeirs; (he himself was of age 70), for incest with his step-daughter, Margaret Burdoun; for frequent adulteries with severalls and diverse persons, and other abominable things; and, notwithstanding of all these flagittious and horrid sins, he was a dreadful Hypocrite and deceiver of God’s People, in pretending to the fear of God in a singular and eminent way; making profession of strickness in piety beyond others; presuming to take upon him to pray publickly in many companies; and in the houses of his friends, neighbours, and acquaintances affecting the reputation and character of a pious and devout man. He died obduredly, without any sign of repentance, and would not hear any minister pray to and for him, telling, his condemnation was sealed, and that now since he was to goe to the devil he would not anger him. The said Jean Weir, his sister-German, was put to death at Edinburgh, and brunt for the same incest and witchcraft; she also was under a profession of religion beyond others. The way how he was brought to confession was by torture of conscience; he confessed that he never prayed in privat, but all his prayers were in public; and, beside all his abominations foresaid, he added this to all, that he did ly with his servant Woman, Bessie Weimis, in fornication for the space of 22 years. Thus did the holy justice of God eminently shyne furth in detecting such wreatched hypocrites.’
It is certain that no story of Witchcraft or Necromancy, so many of which occurred near and in Edinburgh, made such a lasting impression on the public mind as that of Major Weir.
ROBERT CHAMBERS, in his ‘Traditions of Edinburgh,’ remarks, ‘The conclusion to which the humanity of the present age would come regarding Weir – that he was mad – is favoured by some circumstances. What chiefly countenances the idea, is the unequivocal lunacy of the sister. This miserable woman confessed to witchcraft, and related in a serious manner, many things which could not be true. The case of Weir and his sister immediately became a fruitful theme for the imaginations of the vulgar, and for upwards of a century after Major Weir’s death, he continued to be the bugbear of the Bow, and his house remained uninhabited. His apparition was frequently seen at night, flitting, like a black and silent shadow about the street. His house, though known to be deserted by everything human, was sometimes observed at midnight to be full of lights, and heard to emit strange sounds as of dancing, howling, and, what is strangest of all, spinning. Some people occasionally saw the Major issue from the low close at midnight, mounted on a black horse without a head, and gallop off in a whirlwind of flame. Nay, sometimes the whole of the inhabitants of the Bow would be roused from their sleep at an early hour in the morning by the sound of a coach and six, first rattling up the Lawnmarket, and then turning down the Bow, stopping at the head of the terrible close for a few minutes, and then rattling and thundering back again – being neither more nor less than Satan come in one of his best equipages to take home the Major and his sister, after they had spent a night’s leave of absence in their terrestrial dwelling;’ and that ‘Plebeian imaginations have since fructified regarding the staff, and crones will still seriously tell how it could run a message to a shop for any article which its proprietor wanted; how it could answer the door when any one called upon its master; and that it used to be often seen running before him, in the capacity of a link-boy, as he walked down the Lawnmarket!”
About fifty years ago, when the shades of superstition began universally to give way in Scotland, Major Weir’s house came to be regarded with less terror by the neighbours, and an attempt was made by the proprietor to find a person who should be bold enough to inhabit it. Such a person was procured in William Patullo, a poor man of dissipated habits, who, having been at one time a soldier and a traveller, had come to disregard in a great measure the superstitions of his native country, and was now glad to possess a house upon the low terms offered by the landlord at whatever risk. Upon its being known that Major Weir’s house was about to be reinhabited, a great deal of curiosity was felt by people of all ranks as to the result of the experiment; for there was scarcely a native of the city who had not felt since his boyhood, an intense interest in all that concerned that awful fabric, and yet remembered the numerous terrible stories which he had heard respecting it. Even before entering upon his hazardous undertaking, William Patullo was looked upon with a flattering sort of interest, similar to that which we feel respecting a regiment on the march to active conflict. It was the hope of many that he would be the means of retrieving a valuable possession from the dominion of darkness. But Satan soon let them know that he does not tamely relinquish any of the outposts of his kingdom. On the very first night after Patullo and his spouse had taken up their abode in the house, as the worthy couple were lying awake in their bed, not unconscious of a certain degree of fear – a dim uncertain light proceeding from the gathered embers of their fire, and all being silent around them – they suddenly saw a form like that of a calf, which came forward to the bed, and, setting its fore-feet upon the stock, looked steadfastly at the unfortunate pair. When it had contemplated them thus for a few minutes, to their great relief it at length took itself away, and slowly retiring, gradually vanished from their sight. As might be expected, they deserted the house next morning; and for another half century no other attempt was made to embank this part of the world of light from the aggressions of the world of darkness.’
The remains of the house still exist, though in an altered shape, near to the head of the West Bow, in a little court, accessible by a narrow passage, at the first angle on the east or left-hand side of the street, which, as our readers may perceive from looking at the Frontispiece, has a gloomy aspect well suited for a Necromancer. It was at different times occupied as a Brazier’s shop, and a Magazine for lint; but no family would inhabit the haunted walls as a residence. This shocking story of the humble Major Weir and his sister seems to have furnished the plot of that magnificent Tragedy of Manfred by Lord Byron.
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1 Weir had been an officer on the popular side in the civil war. In the Registers of the Estates, under March 3, 1647, reference is made to a supplication by Major Thomas Weir, in which he craved payment of 600 merks due to him by an Act of the Committee of Estates of date the 17th of December 1644, and also payment of what might he due to him ‘for his service as Major in the Earl of Lanark’s regiment by the space of twell months, and his service in Ireland as ane Captain-Lieutenant in Colonel Robert Home his regiment by the space of nineteen months;’ further asking ‘that the Parliament wald ordain John Acheson, Keeper of the Magazine, to re-deliver to the supplicant the band given by him to the said John upon the receipt of ane thousand weight of poulder, two thousand weight of match, and an thousand pound weight of ball, sent with the supplicant to Dumfries for furnishing that part of the country.’ The matter was given over to a committee.
2 ‘He confessed crimes that it was possible for him to have committed, but he qualified his confession by answering ‘that he thought himself guilty of the foresaid crimes, and could not deny them,’ and I am convinced of the prisoner having been delirious at the time of his trial.’ – Hugo Arnot’s Criminal Trials 1536-1784. 4to, 1785.
3 Brother to Professor George Sinclar of Glasgow.
4 One of the female witnesses deponed as to what she saw him doing near ‘New-Mills,’ in the West Country, and ‘complained of him to Mr. John Nave, the Minister of New-Mills; at whose instance he was brought back to the place by some soldiers, but was there dismissed for want of further probation; and the woman that delated him for the fact near New Mills, was by order of the magistrates of Lanark whipped through the town by the hand of the common Hangman, as a slanderer of such an eminent Holy Man!’
5 ‘The Chronicle of Fife: Being the Diary of Mr. John Lamont of Newton 1649-1671. Edited by Archibald Constable, 1810. New Edition, Edited by George Ritchie Kinloch, 1830.’ 4to.
6 Ravillac Redivivus, by Dr. George Hickes. Sm. 4to, 1678.
7 ‘Memorialls; or, The Memorable things that fell out within this Island of Brittain from 1638 to 1684, by the Rev. Mr. ROBERT LAW, Minister of Kirkpatrick. Edited from the MS., with a Prefatory Notice and Illustrative Notes, by CHARLES KIRKPATRICK SHARPE, Edinburgh, 1818. 4to.’ – ‘A collection of perhaps the best selected Tales of Witchcraft and Wizardry which has yet been published.’
