1590 - North Berwick witch hunt

Dr Fian's Love Magic

16th-century Scots worried about foreign enemies, but they also worried about an enemy within - the minions of the Devil. In 1590, it was brought to James VI's attention that some witches had been apprehended. They confessed to trying to destroy James by magic as he returned from his Danish honeymoon with his new Queen, Anne of Denmark. Those accused were supposed to have raised storms to sink the newly-weds' ship. James interrogated the offenders himself and they produced the strangest stories of witches' sabbaths in North Berwick and thereabouts. Here is an account of the confession of Dr Fian, alias Cunningham, the village schoolmaster in Tranent. It is taken from 'Newes from Scotland', a sensational pamphlet attributed to James Carmichael, the minister of nearby Haddington and published in London in 1591. Fian was accused not only of the attempt on James's life, but also of using magic for other ends. His love magic allegedly had unpredictable results.

Hee confessed, that by his witchcraft hee did bewitch a gentleman

He confessed that he bewitched a gentleman

dwelling neare to the Saltpans, where the said Doctor kept schoole,

living near Prestonpans (where Fian was a schoolmaster)

onely for beeing enamoured of a gentlewoman whome hee loved

because he was in love with a lady also loved by Fian.

himselfe; by meanes of which his sorcery, witchcraft and divelish

By sorcery, witchcraft and devilish practises he caused

practises, hee caused the saide gentleman, that once in xxiiii [24]

the gentleman, for one hour out of every twenty four,

howers [hours] hee fell into a lunacie and madnes, and so continued

to fall into a fit of madness.

one whole hower [hour] together: And for the veritie of the same, hee

He proved this by having the gentleman brought

caused the gentleman to bee brought before the Kinges Majestie,

before the King on 23 December

which was uppon the xxiiii day of December last, and beeing in his

and in the king's chamber the victim

Majesties chamber, suddenly hee gave a great scritch [screech], and

suddenly gave a loud scream and

fell into madnesse, sometime bending himself, and sometime capring

fell into lunacy for a whole hour, sometimes

[capering] so directly up, that his heade did touch the seeling

throwing himself about so that his head almost touched the ceiling,

[ceiling] of the chamber, to the great admiration of his Majestie and

to the great wonder of the king and the others who were present.

others then present; so that all the gentlemen in the chamber were

All the king's bedchamber gentlemen together were not capable of

not able to holde him, untill they called in more helpe, who together

holding the victim down until they called for more help and

bound him hand and foot; and suffering the saide gentleman to lie

bound him hand and foot and forced the victim

still untill his furie [insanity] were past, he within an hower [hour]

to lie still until his insanity left him.

came againe to himselfe; when, being demaunded [asked] by the

Within an hour he came to, and when asked by

Kinges Majestie, 'what he saw or did all that while', answered, that

the king 'what he saw or did all that time' he answered

'he had been in a sounde sleepe'.

that he had been in a sound sleep.

The said Doctor did also confesse, that hee had used meanes

The Doctor also confessed that he had used

sundry times to obtaine his purpose and wicked intent of the same

various ways on a number of occasions to persuade

gentlewoman; and seeing himselfe disappointed of his intention, he

the lady in question to let him have his wicked

determined, by all wayes hee might, to obtaine the same; trusting by

way with her and seeing that he was getting

conjuring, witchcraft and sorcerie, to obtaine it, in this manner. It

nowhere he decided to use magic. The lady

happened this gentlewoman, being unmarried, had a brother, who

was unmarried and had a brother who

went to schoole with the saide Doctor; and calling the saide scholler

was one of the Doctor's pupils. He called the

[pupil] to him, demaunded 'if he did lie with his sister' [sharing a

pupil to him and asked 'if he and his sister

bed was common], who answered 'he did': By meanes whereof, hee

shared a bed?' The boy answered that 'he did.'

thought to obtaine his purpose; and therefore secretly promised, to

Fian, seeing a way to obtain his desire, promised to

teach him without stripes [beating], so he woulde obtaine for him

teach the boy without beatings, if he would fetch him

three hairs of the sisters privities, at such time as hee should spie best

three of his sister's pubic hairs when he had the

occasion for it; which the youth promised faithfully to performe,

opportunity. The boy promised faithfully to perform

and vowed speedily to put it in practise, taking a peece of conjured

this and took a piece of magically-charmed paper

paper of his maister, to lap [wrap] them in, when he had gotten

from his master to wrap them in when he had obtained

them; and thereupon the boy practised nightly to obtaine his

them. The boy then tried nightly to get the hairs,

maisters purpose, especially when his sister was asleep. But God,

especially when his sister was asleep. But God

who knoweth the secrets of all harts, and revealeth all wicked and

who knows the secrets of all hearts and who reveals all wicked and

ungodly practises, would not suffer the intents of this divelish

ungodly practices would not allow the Devilish

Doctor to come to that purpose which he supposed it woulde; and

Doctor to succeed in his intentions, as he supposed he would,

therefore, to declare that he was heavily offended with his wicked

and therefore to show how offended he was with the

intent, did so work by the gentlewomans owne meanes, that in the

Doctor's wicked intentions, he worked through the lady

ende the same was discovered and brought to light; for shee being

herself to bring the fact to light. One night when she was

one night a sleepe, and her brother in bed with her, sodainly cried

asleep with her brother in bed she suddenly cried

out to her mother, declaring that her brother woulde not suffer her

out to her mother, declaring that her brother would not let her

to sleepe; whereupon her mother having a quicke capacitie [being

sleep. Her mother being very quick to work things out,

quick to work things out], did vehemently suspect Doctor Fians

was deeply suspicious of Dr Fian's

intention, by reson she was a witch of her self; and therefore,

intentions, because she herself was a witch. She therefore got up

presently arose, and was very inquisitive of the boy to understand

immediately and quizzed the boy carefully to understand what his

his intent; and the better to know the same, did beate him with

intention was, and the better to find out she gave him a good beating,

sundrie stripes, wherby hee discovered the truth unto her.

until he told her the truth.

The mother, therefore, beeing well practised in witchcraft, did thinke

The mother being adept in witchcraft decided

it most convenient to meete with the Doctor in his owne art; and

to give the doctor a dose of his own medicine, and

thereupon took the paper from the boy, wherein hee should have put

took the paper from the boy, that he was supposed to have put

the same haires, and went to a yong heyfer [heifer] which never had

the hairs in and went to a young heifer which had never

borne calfe, nor gone unto the bull, and with a paire of sheeres

given birth to a calf or been put to the bull and with a pair of shears

[shears] clipped off three haires from the udder of the cow, and

she clipped off three hairs from the udder of the cow

wrapt them in the same paper, which shee again delivered to the boy;

and wrapped them in the same paper which she gave back to the boy,

then willing him to give the same to his saide maister, which hee

telling him to give the paper to his master, which he

immediately did. The schoole maister, so soone as he had received

did as soon as possible.

them, thinking them indeede to be the maid's haires, went straight

The school master as soon as he had received them,

and wrought his arte upon them: But the Doctor had no sooner

believing them to be the young lady's hairs, went and straight away

doone his intent to them, but presently the heyfer [heifer] cow,

cast his magic upon them. He had no sooner done

whose haires they were indeede, came unto the door of the church

what he intended to them, but immediately the heifer cow,

wherein the schoole maister was, into the which the heyfer went,

whose hairs they really were, came to the door of the church where

and made towards the schoole maister, leaping and dauncing upon

he was and went inside. She made towards the schoolmaster leaping

him, and following him forth of the church, and to what place

and dancing about him and following him out of church

soever he went; to the great admiration of all the townes men of

wherever he went, to the great wonder of everybody in

Saltpans, and many other who did beholde the same. The report

Prestonpans and everyone else who saw it. The incident

whereof made all men imagine he did worke it by the Devill, without

made everyone think that he did it by the work of the Devil, without

whome it coulde never have been so sufficiently effected; and

whom it could never have been done, and

thereupon, the name of the saide Doctor Fian (who was but a yoong

because of this Dr Fian (who was only a

[young] man) began to growe common among the people of

young man) gained a reputation amongst the people of

Scotland, that hee was secretly nominated for a notable conjurer.

Scotland as a notorious conjurer.

All which, although in the beginning he denied, and woulde not

He denied all of this to begin with and would not

confesse, yet having felt the paine of the bootes [a Scottish

confess, yet having been tortured with the boots (an

instrument of torture, which involved driving wedges of wood into

instrument of torture which involved crushing the legs with wedges of

the legs] . . . he confessed all the aforesaid to be most true, without

wood) . . . he confessed all this to be true, without

producing any witnesses to justifie the same; and therupon, before

producing any witnesses to back up his story and

the Kings Majesty, hee subscribed the sayd confessions with his

to this effect he signed his confession with his own hand before the king,

owne hande; which for truth remaineth upon record in Scotland.

which fact remains on record in Scotland.

After the depositions and examinations of the sayd Doctor Fian

After the depositions and examinations of Dr Fian

alias Cuningham was taken, as alreadie is declared, with his own

alias Cunningham were taken, as has already been declared, with his

hand willingly set thereunto, hee was by the maister of the prison

own signature put to them voluntarily, he was put in jail

committed to ward, and appointed to a chamber by himselfe; where,

by the master of the prison and given a cell to himself, where

foresaking his wicked wayes, acknowledging his most ungodly lyfe,

forsaking his wicked ways and acknowledging his most ungodly life

shewing that he had too much folowed the allurements and

he admitted that he had followed the allures and

enticements of Sathan, and fondly practifed his conclusions, by

enticements of Satan too much and enthusiastically practiced the

conjuring, witchcraft, inchantment, sorcerie, and such like, hee

Devil's work by conjuring, witchcraft, enchantment sorcery and such

renounced the Devill and all his wicked workes, vowed to leade the

like. he renounced the Devil and all his wicked works and vowed to

lyfe of a Christian, and seemed newly converted towards God.

lead the life of a Christian - seeming newly converted to God.

Robert Pitcairn, Criminal Trials in Scotland from 1488 to 1596, Edinburgh, 1833.