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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 28

Orkney Witch Stories

page 74

Orkney Witch Stories.

Katherine Grant and her Stoup.

Katherine Grant, in the November of the year 1623, was dilatit for that she had gone to Henry Janies' house, with "a stoup in hir hand, with the bod dome foremost, and sat down ryght foment the said Henrie, and gantit thryce on him : and going furth he followit hir; and beiyan the brigstane, scho lukit over her shoulder, and turned up the quhyt of her eye, quhair by her divilrie, their fell ane great weght upoun him that he was forcit to set his bak to the wall, and when he came in, he thoucht the hous ran about with him, and theirefter lay seik ane lang tyme." Katherine Grant was not likely to overcome the impression of such testimony as this—that she should have gone to any man's house and yawned thrice, and added to this devilry the further crime of looking over her shoulder, was quite enough evidence of guilt for any sane man or woman in Orkney. Can we wonder, then, that she was not suffered to vox the sunlight longer by carrying pails bottom upwards, or yawning thrice in the faces of decent folk, and that she was taken forth to be strangled, burnt, and her ashes cast to the four winds of the merciful heaven?

John Sinclair.

John Sinclair—a cruel villain to others, if loving to his own—was tried in the year 1633. For under silence and cloud of night he took his distempered sister, sitting backward on the horse, and carried her from where she lay to the Kirk of Hoy. Then a voice came to him, saying, "Seven is too many, but four might do;" and in the morning a boat with five men in it struck on the rocks, and four perished, but one was saved; by which fiendish and unholy sacrifice John Sinclair's sister was cured. He was proved to be their murderer, for when the dead men were found, and he was "forcit to lay his handis vpoun thame, they guishit out with bluid and watter at the mouth and noise." John Sinclair's thread of life needed no more waxing to make it run smoothly and easily. The hangman knew where the knot lay, and cut it to the perfect satisfaction of all the country.

Marion Cumlaquoy.

In 1643 Marion Cumlaquoy, Birsay, bewitched David Cumlaquoy's corn seed, and made it run out too soon. She had been very anxious to know when David would sow, and when she was told, she went and stood "just to his face" all the time he was casting, and that year his seed failed him, so that he could only sow a third of his land, though he had as much grain as heretofore, and it had never run out too soon all the years he had farmed that land. And she went to Robert Carstairs' house by sunrise one day, bringing milk to his good mother, though not used to show such attention; and as she left she turned herself three several times "withershins" about the fire, and that year Robert Carstairs' "bear (barley) was blew and rottin," and his oats gave no proper meal, but made all who ate thereof heart-sick, albeit both bear and oats were good and fresh when he put them in the yard. And if all this was not proof against Marion Cumlaquoy, what would the Orkney courts hold as proof? As the past, so the present; and Marion Cumlaquoy must learn in prison and at the stake the evils that honest folk found in her power of "enchanting" corn and crops.

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The Misdeeds of Marion Richart.

"Mareoune" Richart, alias Langland, dwelt on one of the wild Orkney islands, not far from where mad Elspeth Sandisome kept the whole country in fear lest she should do something terrible to herself or to others. Marion was invited to go to the house, and try her skill at curing her, for she was known to be an awful witch, and able to do whatever she had a mind in the way of healing or killing. So she wont, and set herself to her charm. She took some "remedie water"—which she made into "remedy water," by carrying it in a round bowl to the byre, where she cast into it something like "great salt," taken from her purse, spitting thrice into the bowl, and blowing in her breath—and with this magic "remedie watter forspeking," she bade Elspeth's woman-servant wash her feet and hands, and she would be as well as ever she had been before. This was bad enough; but worse than this, she came to Stronsay on a day, asking alms of "Andro Coupar, skipper of ane bark," to whom said Andrew rudely, "Away witch, carling; devils ane farthing ye will fall!" whereupon went Marion away "verie offendit; and incontinentlie he going to sea, the bark being vnder saill, he ran wode, and wald half luppen our-boord; and his sone seeing him gat him in his armes, and held him; quhairvpon the sicknes immediatelie left him, and his sone ran made; and Thomas Paiterson, seeing him tak his madnes, and the father to turn weill, ane dog being in the bark, took the dog and bladdit him vpon the twa schoulderis, and thaireftir flang the said dogg in the sea, quhairby those in the bark were saiffed." So Marion Richart, alias Langland, learnt the hangman's way to the grave in the year of grace 1629; and her corpse was burned, when the hangman's rope had done its work.

Alison Balfour.

June, 1596, had nearly seen a nobler victim than those usually accorded. John Stuart, Master of Orkney, and brother of the Earl, "was dilatit of consulting with umquhile Margaret Balfour, ane wich, for the destructionne of Patrik Erll of Orkney, be poysoning." In the dittay she is called "Alysoun Balfour, ane knawing notorious wich." Alisoun, after being kept forty-eight hours in the "caschiclawis"—her husband, an old man of eighty-one, her son, and her young daughter, all being in ward beside her, and tortured—was induced to confess. She could not see the old man with the Lang Irons of fifty stone weight laid upon him; her son in the boots, with fifty-seven strokes; and her little daughter, aged seven, with the thumbscrews upon her tender hands, and not seek to gain their remission by any confession that could be made. But when the torture was removed from them and her, she recanted in one of the most moving and pathetic speeches on record—availing her little then, poor soul! for she was burnt on the Castle Hill, December 16th, 1594, and her confession treasured up to be used as future evidence against John Stuart. Thomas Palpla, a servant, was also implicated; but as he had been kept eleven days and nights in the caschiclaws (or caspie-claws); twice in the day for fourteen hours "callit in the buitis;" stripped naked and scourged with "ropes in sic soirt that they left nather flesch nor hyde vpoun him;" and, as he recanted so soon as the torture was removed, his confession went for but little. So John, Master of Orkney, was let off, when perhaps he had been the only guilty one of the three.—From 'Witch Stories' collected by E. Lynn Linton,

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Anderson Institute, Lerwick.

The Anderson Institute was erected and founded in 1862, by Arthur Anderson, Esq., who represented his native county in Parliament from 1847 to 1852. Over the principal entrance is placed a sculpture of the late Thomas Bolt., Esq. of Cruster, Bressay, which represents an incident from which the founder dated his success in life. Mr Bolt, attired according to the fashion of the day, in taking leave of his clerk, Arthur Anderson, then about to enter the navy, is represented as imparting to him the sage advice of 'Do weel and persevere.' This worthy gentleman, whose memory is thus deservedly honoured, was the last of a Shetland family held in high esteem for many generations. In the hall, which is a small, but lofty apartment, with a handsome Gothic roof, are hung beautiful oil paintings of Mr and Mrs Anderson, which were presented to that gentleman by the community of Shetland in 1860. Besides the hall, the building contains three large and commodious class-rooms, and ample accommodation for the principal and his boarders. The Institute consists of an upper school or academy, and an elementary school, both of which are well attended. It is presided over by a principal, who is assisted by two male, and three or four female teachers. For the first four or five years of its history the Institute did not come up to the expectations formed of it, but since then it has been most judiciously managed, and the excellent nature of its tuition has been shown by the high places taken by the pupils at the University Middle Class Examinations.—Shetland and its Inhabitants, by Dr. Cowie.

Anderson Institute, Lerwick.

Anderson Institute, Lerwick.

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The Family Doctor.

Cure for Rheumatism.—The following is said to be a cure for rheumatism : "Take one pound of hops, two quarts of water; boil down to one quart; add one penny worth of saltpetre; strain, and bottle it for use. A small glassful to be taken three times a day.

Burns and Scalds.—Of all applications for a burn, there are few equal to a simple covering of common wheat flour. This is always at hand, and while it requires no skill in using, produces most astonishing effects.

Cuts.—The leaves of geraniums are an excellent application for cuts, where the skin is rubbed off, and other wounds of that kind. One or two leaves must be bruised and applied on linen to the part, and the wound will begin to heal in a very short time.

Sprains.—Keep the joint perfectly at rest. If one of the joints of the leg be injured, let the person keep upon a bed or sofa. Apply warm moist flannels to the injured part, or a large poultice of bread and water. If the pain be very considerable, a few leeches should be applied. Above all else, avoid motion of the joint.

Neuralgia, Toothace, &c.—From two to six drops of cajeput oil upon cotton wool, put upon the painful tooth, will subdue the pain more effectually than any essential oil. A smart pain will be felt, but only for a few seconds.

Quinsy.—A simple and efficacious remedy in this distressing malady is an onion poultice. Bake or roast three or four large onions until soft. Peel quickly and beat flat; put them into a thin muslin bag, about three inches deep, that will reach from ear to ear. Apply it speedily, as warm as can be borne to the throat. Keep it on night and day, taking fresh onions when the strength of the first poultice is exhausted. Flannel must be worn round the throat when the poultice is removed.

Offensive Breath.—Nothing is so good as the concentrated solution of cholride of soda, as prepared by Beaufoy. From six to ten drops in a wine-glassful of pure spring water, taken immediately after washing in the morning, will sweeten the breath by disinfecting the stomach, which will be benefited by the medicine.

For Recent Bruises.—Put one table-spoonful of tincture of arnica into half a pint of warm water. Apply constantly or the first hour. Then apply the same quantity of tincture of arnica with cold water.

Useful Recipes.

Remedy for Moths.—A small piece of paper or linen moistened with spirits of turpentine, and put into a drawer for a single day, two or three times a year, is an effectual preservative against moths.

Keeping Butter.—There is a very common mistake made in keeping sweet butter, namely, in water. This very quickly injures the flavour of it. It should be kept in a cool, airy place, but perfectly dry. When butter is made up in small fancy shapes, and kept for two or three days in water, the flavour is affected, and the butter more or less injured.

Tender Feet may be cured by dissolving one pound of bay salt in one gallon of spring water; and by soaking or bathing the feet therein about five minutes night and morning.

Bran Tea.—A very cheap and useful drink in colds, fevers, and restlessness from pain: Put a handful of bran in a pint and a half of cold water; let it boil rather more than half an hour; strain; and flavour with sugar and lemon juice according to taste.

Cheap Fuel.—The following recipe, taken from Parkes' "Chemical Essays," is worth attention now coal is so dear : "Get half a peck of clay, or stiff loam; make it soft with water; then put one peck of small coal to it and mix them well together until you can roll it into several parts like pieces of charcoal and long eggs. Any other combustible may be added and mixed up with the above, such as sawdust, tanners' waste, bark, curriers shavings, &c. As much can be made in an hour as would last several days.

To Cleanse Silks.—The finest and most, delicate silks may be cleansed, without injury to the fabric or colour, by the pulp of a few potatoes finely scraped into water. Silk which has got wrinkled may be rendered nearly as smooth as when new, by sponging it on the surface with a weak solution of gum arable or white glue, and then ironing it on the wrong side.

To Take Ink out of Linen.—Take a piece of tallow, melt it, and dip the spotted part of the linen into the tallow. The linen may then be washed, and the spots will disappear without injuring the linen.

To Remove Carpet Spots.—A few drops of carbonate of ammonia in a small quantity of warm rain-water, will prove a safe and easy anti-acid, &c., and will change, if carefully applied, dis-coloured spots upon carpets.?