208:"This leads on to the issue of ‘charmers’ in the sense of people who offered their services as healers and diviners. Charmers were distinct from witches; they were self-professed, whereas witches were labelled by others. For most people, the local healer or charmer offered the only medical attention they could ever hope to receive. Nevertheless, a charmer could sometimes acquire a reputation for witchcraft.... In Dalkeith, it is clear that the authorities saw charming as suspicious: scratch the surface and it was likely that something more damning was going on. And charming and midwifery seem to have been linked."
33:
288:
396:
199:
A few aspects of
Beatrix Leslie's case are of historical significance. Firstly, her confession to a 'demonic pact', albeit as a result of her torture, and the fact she was tried as part of a group of women during a year when a great many witches were prosecuted. The nightmares experienced by Acheson
139:
Leslie had acted as midwife for
William Young and Agnes Acheson. They testified they were terrified of Leslie after their friendship had broken down; both had had nightmares that Leslie was devouring them. Indeed, when Leslie had quarreled with William Young and his wife it was "that same verry
132:. She worked as a midwife and described during her trial how she used a knife and salt in a protective ritual during childbirth. Considering her advanced age, she was likely a skilful midwife. At the time of her arrest, Leslie would have been around 84 years old.
176:, where the accused was made to touch the corpse of their alleged victim. If upon their touch the corpse would start bleeding again, the accused was found guilty. The written records mention the two girls only bled when Leslie was made to touch their corpses.
179:
During the ordeals, Leslie confessed to meeting the devil twice, once in the shape of a brown dog and once as a young man, agreeing to be his servant and being given the new name 'Bold Leslie'. However, she claimed to not have renounced her baptism.
135:
There are several reports that note her as argumentative. Some reports state that she uttered curses during certain disputes, after which several women claimed to have suffered harm and loss. These likely will have contributed to her conviction.
143:
For historian Anna Cordey "the fact that Leslie had been
Acheson’s midwife did not make them trust and respect her once the relationship had failed; rather, it caused further unease because they were aware of her abilities."
171:
John
Kincaid investigated Leslie by subjecting her to at least two ordeals. Firstly pricking, during which the accused was pricked with needles in several places in order to find a devil's mark. The second ordeal was the
159:
The accusations brought against her included malefice (evil harm) and demonic witchcraft. The accusation was that two girls who had angered Leslie were killed by using witchcraft to cause the roof of a
446:
156:
in 1661, a year in which many witches were prosecuted in the
Lothians. She was tried together with five other women. The trial began on 20 July 1661 and concluded on 3 August 1661.
439:
140:
night, the said
William Young awakened out of his sleep, in a great affrightment and sweat, crying out, that she with a number of catts wer devouring him."
432:
1378:
112:(c. 1577 – 3 September 1661) was a Scottish midwife executed for witchcraft. In 1661 she was accused of causing the collapse of a coal pit through
1383:
116:. Little is known about her life before that, although there are reported disputes with neighbours that allude to a quarrelsome attitude.
397:"Survey Database, Survey of Scottish Witchcraft, Scottish History, School of History and Classics, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland"
359:
Dudley, Margaret; Goodare, Julian (2013). "Outside In or Inside Out: Sleep
Paralysis and Scottish Witchcraft". In Goodare, Julian (ed.).
289:"Survey Database, Survey of Scottish Witchcraft, Scottish History, School of History and Classics, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland"
173:
1398:
1388:
331:
1368:
691:
517:
124:
Leslie was married to
William Moffat. It is not known if they had any children. She lived in Blackcoat in the parish of
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742:
681:
571:
368:
343:
246:
1373:
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586:
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1229:
1204:
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842:
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188:
With the confession gathered through the ordeal she was found guilty and ordered to be executed.
642:
576:
241:. Ewan, Elizabeth., Innes, Sue., Reynolds, Sian. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 2006.
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252:
242:
239:
The biographical dictionary of
Scottish women : from the earliest times to 2004
1249:
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920:
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607:
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and Young may be further evidence of the effect of the frightening symptoms of
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204:
on early modern witchcraft. Cordey also records that with Leslie's ordeal:
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1100:
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667:
161:
1234:
1015:
657:
459:
395:
Goodare, Julian; Yeoman, Louise; Martin, Lauren; Miller, Joyce (2010).
287:
Goodare, Julian; Yeoman, Louise; Martin, Lauren; Miller, Joyce (2010).
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113:
1095:
1065:
955:
945:
637:
408:
300:
125:
622:
501:
168:
153:
915:
85:
363:. Goodare, Julian. New York: Palgrave MacMillan. p. 126.
332:"Reputation and Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth-Century Dalkeith"
1162:
394:
286:
95:
Accused of witchcraft following collapse of a coal pit
454:
191:She was strangled and burned on 3 September 1661.
1350:
440:
358:
447:
433:
194:
31:
1334:Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, Cornwall
338:. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 107–119.
16:Scottish midwife executed for witchcraft
1379:Scottish people executed for witchcraft
1384:People executed by Scotland by burning
1351:
329:
961:Gormshuil Mhòr na Maighe (aka Gormla)
428:
390:
388:
325:
323:
321:
319:
317:
282:
280:
233:
231:
229:
227:
225:
223:
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518:Dummy, the Witch of Sible Hedingham
13:
361:Scottish Witches and Witch-Hunters
336:Scottish Witches and Witch-Hunters
14:
1410:
572:Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
385:
314:
277:
218:
1399:People executed by strangulation
648:Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers
330:Cordey, Anna (31 October 2013).
1389:Midwifery in the United Kingdom
352:
1:
763:Northamptonshire witch trials
567:Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor
212:
119:
1272:Last person imprisoned under
793:Bury St Edmunds witch trials
334:. In Goodare, Julian (ed.).
183:
7:
1369:17th-century Scottish women
482:Anglo-Saxon metrical charms
10:
1415:
1041:George and Lachlan Rattray
911:Janet Douglas, Lady Glamis
733:North Berwick witch trials
587:Society of the Inner Light
1326:
1305:
1296:
1262:
1185:
1155:
1146:
1119:
856:
705:
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510:
474:
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152:Leslie stood on trial in
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91:
81:
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62:
50:
42:
30:
23:
1313:Witches' Well, Edinburgh
147:
37:The midwife (title page)
1374:Executed Scottish women
843:Islandmagee witch trial
492:Cunning folk in Britain
195:Historical significance
797:1645, 1662, 1655, 1694
269:: CS1 maint: others (
210:
743:Aberdeen witch trials
401:witches.shca.ed.ac.uk
293:witches.shca.ed.ac.uk
206:
164:to collapse on them.
813:Bideford witch trial
582:Ordo Templi Orientis
487:Anglo-Saxon paganism
1276:Witchcraft Act 1735
1148:Neopagan witchcraft
941:Issobell Fergussone
63:Cause of death
1129:Christian Caldwell
1006:Euphame MacCalzean
906:Katherine Campbell
833:Pittenweem witches
783:Witches of Belvoir
773:Samlesbury witches
723:Witches of Warboys
663:Austin Osman Spare
653:Madeline Montalban
1394:Scottish midwives
1346:
1345:
1342:
1341:
1292:
1291:
1258:
1257:
1167:Alexandrian Wicca
1142:
1141:
1120:Witch hunters and
1101:Major Thomas Weir
676:
675:
536:
535:
528:George Pickingill
107:
106:
58:(aged 83–84)
1406:
1303:
1302:
1269:
1268:
1250:Cecil Williamson
1177:Cochrane's Craft
1172:Gardnerian Wicca
1153:
1152:
1071:Annaple Thomsone
1061:Bessie Stevenson
976:Gwen ferch Ellis
921:Margaret Duchill
886:Margaret Barclay
703:
702:
618:Aleister Crowley
608:Peter J. Carroll
547:
546:
542:Ceremonial magic
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471:
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426:
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57:
54:3 September 1661
35:
21:
20:
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1404:
1403:
1349:
1348:
1347:
1338:
1322:
1298:
1288:
1273:
1264:
1254:
1245:Doreen Valiente
1230:Frederic Lamond
1205:Robert Cochrane
1200:Charles Cardell
1187:
1181:
1138:
1121:
1115:
1091:Beatrix Watsone
986:Grissel Jaffray
901:Margaret Burges
891:Magdalene Blair
876:Allison Balfour
871:Margaret Aitken
858:
852:
823:Paisley witches
713:Windsor Witches
701:
683:
672:
613:Andrew Chumbley
596:
592:Typhonian Order
532:
506:
463:
453:
423:
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411:
393:
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202:sleep paralysis
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1225:Gerald Gardner
1222:
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1215:Stewart Farrar
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1131:
1125:
1123:
1122:Witch-prickers
1117:
1116:
1114:
1113:
1108:
1103:
1098:
1093:
1088:
1083:
1081:Issobell Young
1078:
1073:
1068:
1063:
1058:
1056:Isobell Shyrie
1053:
1048:
1043:
1038:
1036:Alison Pearson
1033:
1028:
1023:
1021:Barbara Napier
1018:
1013:
1011:Elspeth McEwen
1008:
1003:
1001:Beatrix Leslie
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993:
988:
983:
978:
973:
968:
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948:
943:
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926:Geillis Duncan
923:
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798:
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789:
788:
780:
779:
778:
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753:Pendle witches
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562:Alpha et Omega
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409:10.7488/ds/100
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369:
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344:
313:
301:10.7488/ds/100
276:
247:
216:
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211:
196:
193:
185:
182:
149:
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121:
118:
110:Beatrix Leslie
105:
104:
103:William Moffat
101:
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92:Known for
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3:
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1154:
1151:
1149:
1145:
1135:
1132:
1130:
1127:
1126:
1124:
1118:
1112:
1111:Bessie Wright
1109:
1107:
1106:Janet Wishart
1104:
1102:
1099:
1097:
1094:
1092:
1089:
1087:
1086:Marion Walker
1084:
1082:
1079:
1077:
1076:Marioun Twedy
1074:
1072:
1069:
1067:
1064:
1062:
1059:
1057:
1054:
1052:
1051:Agnes Sampson
1049:
1047:
1046:Elspeth Reoch
1044:
1042:
1039:
1037:
1034:
1032:
1029:
1027:
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1022:
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999:
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992:
989:
987:
984:
982:
979:
977:
974:
972:
971:Helen Guthrie
969:
967:
966:Isobel Gowdie
964:
962:
959:
957:
954:
952:
949:
947:
944:
942:
939:
937:
936:Isobel Elliot
934:
932:
931:Bessie Dunlop
929:
927:
924:
922:
919:
917:
914:
912:
909:
907:
904:
902:
899:
897:
894:
892:
889:
887:
884:
882:
881:Margaret Bane
879:
877:
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872:
869:
867:
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845:
844:
841:
836:
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834:
831:
826:
825:
824:
821:
816:
815:
814:
811:
806:
805:
804:
803:Alloa witches
801:
796:
795:
794:
791:
786:
785:
784:
781:
776:
775:
774:
771:
766:
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736:
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631:
629:
628:Kenneth Grant
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560:
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550:Organizations
548:
545:
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539:
529:
526:
524:
523:James Murrell
521:
519:
516:
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169:witch-pricker
165:
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68:
67:strangulation
65:
61:
53:
49:
45:
41:
34:
29:
22:
19:
1284:Helen Duncan
1240:Alex Sanders
1220:Janet Farrar
1134:John Kincaid
1026:Alice Nutter
1000:
996:Marie Lamont
951:Agnes Finnie
896:Janet Boyman
682:Early Modern
633:Dion Fortune
412:. Retrieved
400:
360:
354:
335:
304:. Retrieved
292:
238:
207:
198:
190:
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178:
166:
158:
151:
142:
138:
134:
123:
109:
108:
56:(1661-09-03)
18:
1364:1661 deaths
1359:1577 births
1318:Maggie Wall
1299:and museums
1031:Mary Pannal
981:Janet Horne
866:Lilias Adie
692:In Scotland
668:A. E. Waite
74:Citizenship
69:and burning
1353:Categories
1265:witchcraft
1235:Sybil Leek
1016:Violet Mar
991:Mary Hicks
684:witchcraft
658:Alan Moore
643:James Lees
468:Folk magic
462:in Britain
460:witchcraft
213:References
130:Midlothian
120:Background
114:witchcraft
82:Occupation
1306:Monuments
1297:Monuments
1096:Jane Weir
1066:Anna Tait
956:Maud Galt
946:John Fian
747:1596–1597
727:1589–1593
638:Phil Hine
601:Magicians
511:Magicians
414:17 August
379:863623710
306:17 August
265:cite book
257:367680960
184:Execution
174:bierricht
126:Newbattle
1186:Neopagan
1156:Variants
697:In Wales
623:John Dee
502:Nicnevin
475:Variants
162:coal pit
154:Dalkeith
77:Scotland
1327:Museums
1195:Artemis
1188:witches
916:Meg Dow
859:witches
857:Accused
86:midwife
1263:Modern
706:Trials
577:O∴A∴A∴
497:Goetia
377:
367:
342:
255:
245:
100:Spouse
46:c.1577
1163:Wicca
456:Magic
148:Trial
1274:the
1210:Dafo
847:1711
837:1704
827:1696
817:1684
807:1658
787:1619
777:1612
767:1612
757:1612
737:1590
717:1579
557:A∴A∴
458:and
416:2018
375:OCLC
365:ISBN
340:ISBN
308:2018
271:link
253:OCLC
243:ISBN
167:The
51:Died
43:Born
405:doi
297:doi
1355::
1165::
403:.
399:.
387:^
373:.
316:^
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