[Satan’s Invisible World Contents]
PATRICK SANDELANDS, third son of James, seventh Lord Torphichen, a mischievous and unlucky boy, took it into his head, in the year 1720, under instruction, it is said, from a knavish governor, to play the possessed and bewitched person, laying the cause of his distress on certain old women and a man in the village of Calder, near to his father’s mansion. He fell down in trances, from which no horsewhipping could rouse him till he chose of his own time to revive, pronounced prophecies, made urine the colour of ink, was lifted up into the air by invisible hands, and in fine, so worked upon the fears and affections of his family, that Lord Torphichen at length gave credit to the falsehoods he uttered, and his tormentors was seized. From circumstances, it is probable that the child’s brain was disordered. The Minister of the parish, and many others, quickly caught the infection:- a Fast was proclaimed at Mid-Calder, and the Sermon preached on that occasion by Mr. John Wilkie, Minister at Uphall, and afterwards printed by desire of Lord Torphichen. It was entitled, “A Sermon preached at Mid-Calder, on Thursday, January 14th, 1720. Being a Congregational Fast in that place. James iv. 7., by John Wilkie, Minister of the Gospel at Uphall. Edinburgh, 1720.” 12mo. In the Notice to the Reader, it is stated that “This sermon was preached on a melancholy occasion, which has made a great deal of noise in the country. At that time two of the persons delated for witchcraft had acknowledged their guilt; three more have since made the like confession, and of a great many mischiefs done by them to several persons in Calder, and in the neighbouring Paroches, which upon examination, have been found to be according to their confession. The world may doubtless expect to have in due time a particular narrative of these, and the other things that are daily coming to light in this case; and I shall presume to offer it as my opinion, that in the meantime, every person who is not resolved to give the world a prejudice against the candour of his Judgment, should beware of denying the Witchcraft, till he has informed himself by sure hands, what evidence may be had for the thing, and find that not to be sufficient. It was not the Author’s inclination, but the importunity of that noble person, whose family hath had a large share of the malice of these persons that hath put this discourse into print… May the blessed God make this the fruit of the present sore affliction to that Honourable Family; and may the same gracious hand make this slender performance useful to them, and to any others, who shall condescend to peruse it.” To complete the assemblage of sages, the “Tincklarian Doctor,” William Mitchel, sallied forth from his shop in the West Bow of Edinburgh, in order to exorcise the evil spirits at Calder. In his “Strange and Wonderful Discourse concerning the Witches and Warlocks in West Calder (a folio broadside), he remarks, – “I went to Calder, the 14th day of January, 1720, before day light, long eight miles, in ill weather, fasting, on my foot. I took the sword of the spirit at my breast, and a small wand in my hand, as David did when he went out to fight against Goliah; so I went to cast the devil out of my Lord Torphichan’s son. So you see that I was not lying in my letter that I write to Tillehewn, when I said Peter and I were two bold felows. When I went to his house, his servants were eating and drinking, although he had appointed it to be a fast day, in order to get the devil out of his house. I do think they might have fasted untill the sermon was over upon such a weighty business; and they offer’d me some, but I took neither meat nor drink of his. Some think it a fast day when they hear a minister preach for the payment!”
“Then I went to my lord, and said I was sent by God to come to cast out the devil out of his son, by faith in Christ. He seem’d to be like that Lord, who had the charge of the gate of Samaria; Then I said to him, ‘My Lord, do ye not believe me?’ Then he bad me ‘go and speak to many ministers that was near by him;’ but I said, ‘I was not sent to them.’ Then he went himself and spoke to them what I said, but they would not hear of it, more than Lot’s good sons would hear him. There was envy like John’s when he forbad the man to cast out devils. So I went to three witches and a warlock to examine them in sundry places. Two of them denyed, and two of them confessed. I have not room here to relate all down that I said to them, and what they said; but I ask’d them, ‘When they took on in that service?’ The wife said, ‘Many years;’ and the man said, ‘It was ten years to him!’ Then I asked the wife, ‘What was her reason to take on with the devil?’ And (she said) ‘He promised her riches, and she believed him,’ and then she called him many a cheat and liar in my hearing. Then I went to the man, because he was a great professor, and could talk of religion with any of the parish, [as they that was his neighbours said] and he was at Bothel-Bridge fighting against the King; and because of that, I desired to ask questions at him, but my Lord’s officer said to me, ‘His Lord would not allow me;’ but I said, I would not be hindered neither by my Lord nor by the Devil, before many there present. Then I asked, ‘What iniquity he found in God that he left his service?’ Then he got up, and said, ‘O, sir, are ye the minister?’ So ye see the devil knows me to be a minister better than the magistrates; and he said, ‘He found no fault in God, but his wife beguiled him:’ and he said, ‘Wo be to the woman his wife,’ and blamed her only as Adam did his wife, and the wife blamed the devil; so ye see it is so from the beginning. This is a caution to us all never to hearken to our wives except they have Scripture on their side. Then I asked at him, ‘Did he expect heaven?’ ‘Yes,’ (said he)… Then I asked at him, ‘If he could command the devil to come to speak to me?’ But [he said] ‘No.’ Then I said again, ‘Call for him, that I may speak with him.’ He said again, ‘It was not in his power.’ Then my Lord sent more servants, that hindered me to ask any more questions, otherwise I might have seen the devil, and I would have spoken about his son. But his son will be delivered, God told me twice that morning before I went out, I opened the Bible, and my eyes were cast on these words, “The Lord will deliver us.” Then I lay’d by the Book with joy, and near half an hour after I took the Bible again, and my eyes lighted upon the same words. I clossed the Book again with joy, and was assured”…
This he follows up by declaring, “Gentlemen, ye know I have been an useful man in my time. I studied night and day to give you light. Sometimes I wrote to make you merry, and sometimes I wrote to make you sad, (because there is a time to be merry and a time to be sad) says Solomon. And now I am turning old and grayheaded; and I am going to leave you. This is my last show in Scotland… Altho’ I be envy’d both by the Magistrates and Ministers, they dare not challenge a lie in all of my 40 Books.”
Although these several persons were apprehended and confined in prison, with the intention of thereby bringing them to a confession of their guilt, yet it does not appear that they were punished, or that anything worse than the “Parish Fast” was launched at the Devil on this occasion. Indeed, the Crown Counsel would not proceed to trial.
In a collection of “PRIVATE LETTERS (addressed to ROBERT WODROW, Minister at Eastwood) now first printed from the original MSS., 1694-1732, Edinburgh, 1829,” there is one from the Rev. John Williamson, Minister of Inveresk and Musselburgh, in which he says, “It’s certain my Lord’s [Torphichen] third son has been dreadfully tormented, thrown up and down the room, candles put out, and endeavours made to get him away. There was a fast on this account. Mr. Brisbane got one of the women to acknowledge ane image of the child, which, on search, was found in another woman’s house; but they could not know what kind of matter it was made of. Two women who have confessed are since dead, and told the devill would kill them for confessing. The matter is not over, many are still delated by the child. But some who have been of very intire fame being named, its suspected it may be one of Satan’s stratagems to bring some innocent persons into suspicion among the guilty. Muss., Feby. 19, 1720.”
Shortly afterwards, the noble family also began to see through the cheat. The boy whom the witches were supposed to have tormented was sent to sea, and though he is said at one time to have been disposed to try his fits while on Board, the discipline of the Navy proved too severe for his cunning, and in process of time he became a good sailor, and obtained the command of an East India vessel for his gallant conduct in repulsing a party of the pirate Angria’s men, after they had boarded her. He finally perished in a storm.
