Английская Википедия:Allison Balfour

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photo of road leading to sea loch with hills in the background
Allison Balfour lived in Ireland, an area of Stenness on mainland Orkney.

The 1594 trial of alleged witch Allison Balfour or Margaret BalfourШаблон:Efn is one of the most frequently cited Scottish witchcraft cases. Balfour lived in the Orkney Islands of Scotland in the area of Stenness. At that time in Scotland, the Scottish Witchcraft Act 1563 had made a conviction for witchcraft punishable by death.

Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney, known as Black Patie, had control of Orkney in 1594 at the time of Balfour's trial. Patie was convinced that his younger brothers, especially John Stewart, Earl of Carrick, were plotting to kill him. Patie discovered poison in the possession of one of John's servants, Thomas Paplay, who after being tortured for eleven days confessed and implicated Balfour among his co-conspirators.

Although Paplay retracted his confession just before his execution, Balfour and her family were transported to Kirkwall, where they were tortured until a confession was extracted. Balfour was tried, found guilty of witchcraft, and sentenced to death. Just as Paplay had done, Balfour retracted her confession immediately before her execution on 16 December 1594, publicly proclaiming her innocence and detailing the tortures carried out on her and members of her family. She was executed at Gallow Ha' in Kirkwall on 16 December 1594.Шаблон:TOC limit

Background

The islanders of Orkney had a long tradition of belief in forms of witchcraft, sorcery and supernatural creatures.Шаблон:Sfnp Magical powers were accepted as part of life and were not questioned.Шаблон:Sfnp Witch hunts in Scotland began in about 1550;Шаблон:Sfnp the parliament of Mary, Queen of Scots passed the Scottish Witchcraft Act in 1563 (though Mary under severe pressure from the Protestants had delayed the matter as long as possible),Шаблон:Sfnp making witchcraft convictions subject to capital punishment.Шаблон:Sfnp Although the Orkney archipelago was officially under Norwegian law until 1611,Шаблон:Sfnp it had been held by Scotland from 1468Шаблон:R under the rule of Scottish earls.Шаблон:Sfnp Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney, known as Black Patie, had control of the islands in 1594 at the time of the first witch trials.Шаблон:R The Stewart family had a lot of ill-feeling towards each other: Patie had an acrimonious relationship with his fatherШаблон:R and showed a particular animosity towards his younger brothers, especially John Stewart, Earl of Carrick, whom Patie was convinced intended to have him murdered.Шаблон:Sfnp He had found Thomas Paplay, John's servant, with poison.Шаблон:Sfnp Paplay was tortured for eleven days until he confessed,Шаблон:Sfnp naming Allison Balfour among the conspirators.Шаблон:Sfnp He retracted his confession just before his execution.Шаблон:Sfnp

Only sparse information is available on witch trials in Orkney before 1612,Шаблон:Sfnp but details of Balfour's conviction have been described by Julian GoodareШаблон:R as "one of Scotland's most frequently-cited witchcraft cases."Шаблон:Sfnp Balfour lived in an area of Stenness known as Ireland,Шаблон:SfnpШаблон:Efn with her aged spouse Taillifeir and her children.Шаблон:Sfnp A natural healer of some repute,Шаблон:Sfnp she had been asked for advice on how best to cast a spell on Black Patie by his brothers and their friends, who were plotting to kill him.Шаблон:Sfnp The first of several alleged consultations took place in October 1593,Шаблон:Sfnp the outcomes of which are unknown but Black Patie suffered no apparent ill-effects.Шаблон:Sfnp Nevertheless, Balfour was arrested and transported to Kirkwall to be tried in December 1594.Шаблон:SfnpШаблон:Sfnp

The case was unusual as it was instigated purely on the authority of Patie, whereas most Scottish witch trials required a commission of justiciary.Шаблон:Sfnp Most witch trials were held in St Magnus Cathedral,Шаблон:Sfnp where prisoners may also have been incarcerated, but Balfour was held in Kirkwall Castle.Шаблон:Sfnp The Orcadian historian Ernest Marwick speculates that torture may have taken place in the cathedral.Шаблон:Sfnp Balfour was interrogated for two days by Henry Colville of Orphir, a minister and close friend of Patie.Шаблон:Sfnp

Torture

Henry Colville attempted to gain sufficient evidence from Balfour to enable Patie to take action against his brother, John Stewart.Шаблон:Sfnp She was subjected to brutal torture for a period of forty-eight hours with Colville assuming the roles of "interrogator and spiritual comforter".Шаблон:Sfnp Her legs were enclosed in a contraption called caschielawes, a device made of iron that could be heated by a furnaceШаблон:Sfnp until the victim's flesh started to burn.Шаблон:Sfnp When she lost consciousness, as she did several times, the device was removed until she could be roused and the torture resumed.Шаблон:Sfnp As Balfour continued to protest her innocence, Colville turned his attention to her husband, her son, and her seven-year-old daughter.Шаблон:Sfnp Taillifeir, her husband, was tortured in front of her by the use of lang irons although it is unclear exactly what type of device this was.Шаблон:Sfnp Marwick describes them as being fettersШаблон:Sfnp but historian Sigurd TowrieШаблон:R characterises them as a method of pressing by placing Шаблон:Convert of stones on the victim's body.Шаблон:R When Balfour still would not confess she was forced to watch her son having his legs put into an iron boot.Шаблон:Sfnp The device, which stretched from his knee to his ankle, was struck fifty-seven times with a large hammer.Шаблон:Sfnp The boots inflict severe crushing and mutilation to the flesh and bones.Шаблон:Sfnp

Balfour reached her breaking-point when Colville tortured her daughter.Шаблон:Sfnp He placed the young girl's hands in thumbscrews, also called pinniewinkles,Шаблон:Sfnp pulverising the child's fingers.Шаблон:R Colville assured Balfour that she would not be executed if she confessed.Шаблон:Sfnp She relented and finally Colville secured enough of an admission of guilt for the court to be able to sentence her.Шаблон:Sfnp

Execution and aftermath

Despite Colville's pledge, Balfour was found guilty of conspiring to murder by the use of witchcraft and was sentenced to be strangled and burned.Шаблон:SfnpШаблон:Sfnp On 16 December 1594Шаблон:Efn Balfour was taken to Gallow Ha'Шаблон:Efn in Kirkwall to be executed.Шаблон:Sfnp Before the strangulation she was required to make a declaration in front of the gathered crowd and five ministers, including Colville, for the notary public; instead she proclaimed her innocence and detailed the tortures carried out against her and her family.Шаблон:Sfnp Immediately prior to Balfour's sentence being enacted, attempts were made to have her implicate the Laird of Stenhouse, Patrick Bellenden, in the conspiracy by questioning her about a piece of wax he had given her.Шаблон:Sfnp It had been retrieved from her purse when she was arrested and her inquisitors considered it was to make an effigy.Шаблон:Sfnp She denied their claims, stating it was to produce a treatment for Lady Bellenden's colic.Шаблон:Sfnp

The long-standing acrimony between Patie and his brothers continued unabated;Шаблон:Sfnp on 24 June 1596 John Stewart, Earl of Carrick was accused at the justiciary court in Edinburgh of scheming with Balfour to poison his brother, Patie.Шаблон:SfnpШаблон:Sfnp John Stewart defended himself by asserting that the confession should be ignored, as it was retracted and had only been obtained under torture.Шаблон:Sfnp He was found not guilty.Шаблон:Sfnp

Colville had continued to support Patie, and during 1595 was appointed Patie's depute.Шаблон:Sfnp Three weeks after John Stewart's acquittal, Colville was attending to business on Patie's behalf at Nesting in Shetland.Шаблон:Sfnp Stewart, together with a group of his friends who for a variety of reasons also despised Colville, sailed from Montrose to Shetland, replenishing supplies en route at Orkney.Шаблон:Sfnp They landed in Shetland at Tingwall and made their way overland to where Colville was staying.Шаблон:SfnpШаблон:Sfnp It is uncertain which member of the group "maist schamefullie, crewallie and unmercifullie slew him"Шаблон:Sfnp in July 1596, but on 14 October that year Stewart was tried for the murder and once again acquitted.Шаблон:Sfnp William Stewart and Gilbert Pacock,Шаблон:Efn one of John Stewart's employees, had in the interim been beheaded for the crime.Шаблон:SfnpШаблон:SfnpШаблон:Efn

See also

References

Notes

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Citations

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Bibliography

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Шаблон:Magic and Witchcraft in the British Isles

Шаблон:Authority control

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