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Satan's Invisible World Discovered /

Chapter 40: Transcriber’s Notes
By George Sinclair
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History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)Mythology, Legends & Folklore

About This Book

A collection of contemporary relations and attestations recounts alleged encounters with devils, spirits, witches, and apparitions drawn from court records, witness testimony, and popular report. Presented as individual narratives, the pieces describe supposed bewitchments, spectral visitations, miraculous cures, confessions, and prosecutions, alongside folk prayers and charms used to combat maleficence. Several extended episodes detail how communities investigated suspicious events and identified alleged practitioners, while other entries record isolated uncanny happenings and their social consequences. The compilation conveys the period’s explanatory framework for misfortune through reported incidents rather than systematic analysis.

XLIII.—Concerning the Witch of Calder.

This famous witch of Calder, is not to be altogether passed by. This horrible slave of Satan was first suspected by her neighbours, and then her horrible witchcrafts were found to the conviction of many, and direful experience of my Lord Torphichen’s family.—She had a child died, which she gave to the devil, not only the soul, but the corpse, without a burying.——She put an incantation upon the aforesaid honourable Lord’s son, so that he was the terror, as well as the grief of the family. This child was in a room with his sisters; he told them, he knew what was doing by others absent; the daughters told their Lady-mother. I forbear to tell all I had from an eye and ear witness; but this one I cannot pass. The son was tormented extremely, and at length, his pedagogue sitting up with him one night, and being sleepy, he saw a flash of fire at the window; but thinking the child was asleep, continued to watch more carefully; and, as he thought, in a little time, the same fire appeared at the window; the child was awake in bed, and told him, he had been at Torryburn in the time. This child was several times taken away. He told the family when he was to be taken away at other times; and sometimes, even then, though they waited on him, he appeared to be lifted up in the air, to be taken from them. This witch being taken into custody, she then discovered others, who are all dead.

She was examined by the minister of the parish, and several others; but was brutishly ignorant, and scarce knew any thing, but her witchcraft. There was one day, that this child was waited on, when he was to be taken away, they kept the door and window close; but a certain person going to the door, he made shift and got to the door, and was lifted in the air, but was catched by the heels and coat-tails, and brought back.—There were many and dreadful things happened to this child, which I forbear to mention, on account of the honourable family, and that it is too late, and in every body’s head.—When the witch was examined about the corpse of her child, she said, the corpse were buried; but the wright that made the coffin, declared, That she put nothing in the coffin but clouts. Then she said, “The child being long pined, and all flesh taken off by the sickness, it appeared but clouts; yet, at length she confessed, that she gave the corpse as well as the soul to the devil, which he said he was to make a roast of. She, with all her hellish accomplices, died in custody, after they had confessed many amazing incantations, and horrible unheard of witchcrafts.



FINIS.

Transcriber’s Notes

  • TOC number 17 Changed Hataraick, on old Warlock to: Hattaraick
  • pg 3 Removed unneeded quote before: It was the deed of the “dumb girl.”
  • pg 5 Added apostrophe in: clay one in her brothers: brother’s
  • pg 8 Changed subscribed by the two notars public to: notary
  • pg 9 Changed white hand-cuffs, and hoggers to: hoggars
  • pg 10 Changed new name given to himself was Jones to: Jonas
  • pg 10 Changed Bessie Weir in his bed-straw. to: bedstraw.
  • pg 12 Added quote after: How she had win to the bolster?
  • pg 14 Changed wash them, but seing to: seeing
  • pg 28 Changed chapter heading from VII. to VIII.
  • pg 30 Added quote after: I replied, What, my major?
  • pg 30 Added quote after: “Captain, captain,
  • pg 31 Changed his guilt, and confesssion to: confession
  • pg 32 Changed with a genttleman to: gentleman
  • pg 35 Added colon after: ingenuity in him was this
  • pg 37 Added quote after: chusing rather to die than live; and so died.
  • pg 42 Changed pin that it was fasttened to: fastened
  • pg 43 Added period after: before it came down
  • pg 61 Moved quote from: “Not thine, answered the other,” to: “Not thine,” answered the other,
  • pg 61 Added quote before: but in obedience to God
  • pg 62 Added period after: considering what to do
  • pg 68 Added missing e after: amiss to insert it her now: here
  • pg 69 Changed it was supposed has to: his
  • pg 70 Added period after: I will do you no harm
  • pg 71 Added quote after: I will meet you some other time.
  • pg 74 Changed chapter heading XVI. to: XV.
  • pg 83 Changed XVII.—Anent Hataraick to: Hattaraick
  • pg 87 Added period after Dr in: Dr Breton, late rector of Ludgate
  • pg 87 Added quote before: That she had business
  • pg 90 Changed clothes, stature, mein to: mien
  • pg 90 Changed journey-man in such cases uses to: used
  • pg 90 Changed hung in the shop, put in on to: put it on
  • pg 93 Changed bid them to he down to: be down
  • pg 94 Changed he had no knowlege to: knowledge
  • pg 98 Changed at the minister’s back-yait to: back-yard
  • pg 99 Changed was thrown at the lad’s bedstead to: bed-stead
  • pg 100 Added period after: trouble found about the family
  • pg 104 Changed chapter heading from XXV. to: XXII.
  • pg 107 Changed in the likeness of a oungman to: youngman
  • pg 108 Changed which she bad him spend to: which she had him spend
  • pg 109 Changed taken with him, who delcared to: declared
  • pg 110 Changed chapter heading from XXV. to: XXVI.
  • pg 110 Removed quote after: and it will grow meikle.
  • pg 110 Changed French Gentlemen, his two comerades to: comrades
  • pg 111 Changed The next morning the two comerades to: comrades
  • pg 124 Changed deal with them in the same manaer to: manner
  • pg 124 Added period after XXIX
  • pg 129 Added quote after: I know nothing to the contrary.
  • pg 134 Changed Magdalen Pans, where sh died to: she died
  • pg 135 Changed XXX. to: XXXIII.
  • pg 135 Added quote before: I asked her, how she came to the knowledge
  • pg 136 Added quote after: in Glasgow of that name?
  • pg 140 Added ) after: when he spoke of it
  • pg 141 Added XXXV. to chapter heading
  • pg 143 Changed One comes in the lkeness to: likeness
  • pg 145 Added period after: All is done that we have ready
  • pg 147 Added period after: but went about to shun it
  • pg 148 Added period after: a a street so called there
  • pg 148 Removed repeated letter a from: a a street so called there
  • pg 149 Changed devil your master too,” who d to: did
  • pg 150 Added period after: “Torment me not before the time”
  • pg 152 Changed her body with a vehement cahination to: cachinnation
  • pg 155 Changed I please, on my forehead? to: forehead.”
  • pg 157 Changed Foul faults must have a cloke to: cloak
  • pg 157 Added period after: only of that sin mentioned, Rom
  • pg 163 Changed the cause of his sicknes to: sickness
  • pg 167 Added quote after: “O dementia! hucine rerum venimus?
  • pg 168 Changed Concerning some Witches in the Shire of Renfrere to: Renfrew