Following Scottish Calendrical
Folk Customs,
through evidence in
witchcraft accusations

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“Took dead people's bones and rinsed them in water. The water was then used to cure a sick person and the bones to be thrown into the River Don… Took burning coal at Hallowe'en and buried it in her yard.”

said of Isobell Strauthaquhin, accused in March 1597
Dyce, Aberdeen

"Accused of healing a woman of the fevers with a sleeve and thread. Said to have brought a burning coal out her house at Hallowe'en and buried it in her yard."

said of Elspet Strachund, accused in April 1597
Lumphanan, Aberdeen

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This site is the culmination of an investigation into what, if anything, can be learned about Scottish calendrical folk customs by looking at accusations of witchcraft from the early modern era. The data for this project comes from the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft Database compiled by researchers at the University of Edinburgh.

The best way to navigate the pages on the left is to take a piece of red string that has been dipped in fresh milk and tie one end around a beetle and the other end to a nail. If the beetle circles the nail clockwise, start at the top of the list. If the beetle circles counterclockwise, start at the bottom. Either way, your crops will fail.