Euphame MacCalzean
editEuphame MacCalzean | |
|---|---|
| Died | 25 June 1591 Edinburgh |
| Spouse | Patrick Moscrop |
| Father | Thomas MacCalzean, Lord Cliftonhall |
Euphame MacCalzean - also known as Ewphame Mecalrean [1] - (born before 1558, died 25 June 1591 in Edinburgh) was a pivotal figure in one of the most important episodes of Scottish witch-hunting, the North Berwick Witch Trials of 1590-1591. Her trial had important political and legal ramifications, and the allegations against her provide insight into the construction of witches as 'unnatural' women who subverted the natural order. [2]
Background
editEuphame MacCalzean was connected to the powerful Edinburgh legal community by birth and marriage. She was the daughter and heiress of Thomas MacCalzean of Cliftonhall (Lord Cliftonhall), a prominent and wealthy Edinburgh advocate. Euphame was born illegitimate and was legitimised by her father in 1558. [3]
She was married to Patrick Moscrop, the son of one of her father's friends, and a man powerful enough to sit in as justice depute on a number of cases in 1590. So rich and prominent was Euphame that Patrick agreed to take her name - MacCalzean. [3] Euphame and Patrick had at least five children. [2]
North Berwick Witch Trials of 1590-1591
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The North Berwick Witch Trials began with the accusation of a servant woman, Geillis Duncan, in November 1590. Duncan had recently been involved in some seemingly magical cures of illnesses, and her employer had become suspicious that she was deriving her powers from the Devil. Under severe questioning, which may have included illegal torture, Duncan confessed to being a witch and named several others as witches, including Euphame MacCalzean. [4]
Euphame MacCalzean was alleged to have been one of the witches - including Agnes Sampson and others - who tried to use magic to kill James VI. The charges against her portray her as a domineering and powerful woman who, in addition to seeking the King's death, used her magic in attempts to to gain her husband's love, then try to to kill him and his relatives, and even to avoid the pains of childbirth. [2]
Most of the malefices alleged against Euphame related to her extended family. She was accused of attempting to cause the death by magic of her father-in-law. She had allegedly tried to kill her own husband, with whom her marriage had apparently never gone smoothly. She was supposed to have killed her husband's sister's son and her own uncle's daughter. This last point is crucial, because Euphame had a property dispute with her uncle over the lands of Cliftonhall. [3]
Death
editDespite an apparently spirited defence by several notable lawyers, Euphame MacCalzean was executed in 1591. Her sentence of being burned alive was harsh - most witches were strangled before being burned. [2]
References
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Category:Witchcraft Category:North Berwick Category:Witch trials
- ^ 1566-1625., James I, King of England, ([2016]). The annotated Daemonologie : a critical edition. Warren, Brett. R,. [Place of publication not identified]: [Unknown publisher]. ISBN 9781532968914. OCLC 1008940058.
{{cite book}}:|last=has numeric name (help); Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d The biographical dictionary of Scottish women : from the earliest times to 2004. Ewan, Elizabeth., Innes, Sue., Reynolds, Sian. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 2006. ISBN 9780748626601. OCLC 367680960.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b c Goodare, Julian (2002-09-21). The Scottish Witch-Hunt in Context. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9780719060243.
- ^ Burns, William E. (2003). Witch Hunts in Europe and America: An Encyclopedia. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313321429.