Series 1 > Records of the Proceedings of the Justiciary Court Edinburgh, 1661-1678 > Volume 2, 1669-1678

14.
JUSTICIARY PROCEEDINGS
[APRIL
step-daughter was with child in his house and that all the
people did believe it was the Major’s, and that a servant of
the house told it to the Declarant, and that the said Margaret
did not deny it when she posed her on it after the Servant
had told her, and confesses all the Sorcerys as in the lybell,
and that her Brother had a mark like the Devil's Mark on his
shoulder.
The Assise all in one voice finds the Pannell, Major Weir,
to be guilty of the said horrid Crimes of bestiality with the
mare and cow lybelled, and of the Crime of Incest with his
sister Jean in manner contained in his Dittay, and finds the
Pannell Jean guilty of the Incest also lybelled against her, and
they take no notice of any other points of the Lybell not¬
withstanding of the Major’s Judiciall Confession, because it
was not positive and notwithstanding of the probation of the
extra-judiciall Confessions, but simply passes them by.
The said Major Weir is sentenced to be taken on Monday
the 11th inst. to the Gallowlie betwixt Leith and Edinr and
there betwixt two and four hours in the afternoon, to be
strangled at a stake till he be dead, and his body to be burnt
to ashes, and by the same sentence his sister Jean is decerned
to be hanged at the Grass Mercate of Edinbr on Tuesday,
being the day thereafter. Which were accordingly execute,
and the said Major not being able to travell for age, was
dragg’d on a sled, the horse being led by the hangman, and
died in despair declaring that he had no hopes of mercy, and
the woman died folishly.1
I have sett down these Processes against these two unfor¬
tunate, unworthy and wicked persons at greater length then I
use to do because the manner of their lives and deaths made
a noise even in forreign nations as well as at home, they being
looked upon by all as the greatest Hypocrites and most
flagitious persons that had been for many years discovered
in any nation. There was one thing discoursed and beleived
of this Major Weir at the time of his Tryall, that he pre¬
tended to be so great a Casuist in practicall Divinity, that he
1 At her execution, it is said that she'struggled to throw off her clothes that,
as she expressed it, ‘she might die with all the shame she could.’—Wilson's
Memorials, vol. ii. p. 117.