How did the witch trials go?
Preparing for execution
Let's go to the small village of Aldern in Scotland. The 16th century left a big mark on these places. This is the Battle of Aldern during the Civil War, and the burning of witches, for example, the famous story with Isabel Gowdy. Several novels have been written and a play has been staged based on this event. Let's look down to the smallest detail at how the witch trials took place in the Middle Ages using the example of Goudi.
What is known about Isabelle Gowdy
In fact, little is known about this girl, who lived in the mid-17th century in Scotland. Much of the information comes from the novel The Devil's Mistress, written in 1915. There was also supposedly real information left, some records that disappeared in the 17th century and appeared only in the 19th. It is impossible to say whether they are true or not, but they are more real.
Isabel lived with her husband John Gilbert in the town of Loch Loy. Her age is not known for certain. In Scotland, you could get married at the age of 15, and the average age for marriage was 24-28 years. Looking ahead, we note that she admitted to witchcraft, that she had had sex for more than 15 years with all sorts of evil spirits. So the woman was somewhere between 30 and 45 years old. Nothing is known about the children. The husband was a farm laborer and worked on a private farm. The wife, according to her testimony, sold meat and fabrics at the market.
If you plunge into the life of Scottish villages of that time, you can assume that a typical day for Isabel revolved around milking cows, baking bread, gardening, and spinning. And she was unlikely to be educated; most likely, she did not read or write. But she expressed her thoughts well, because the volume of testimony amazed her. This sets her case apart from most others.
What did she admit?
In the 19th century, Robert Pitcairn published Gowdy's confessions in his book The Ancient Criminal Trials of Scotland. The author found them in the National Archives of Scotland. The papers previously belonged to the woman's landlord.
According to documents, Isabelle confessed to her deeds four times from April to June 1662. Not surprising, considering what they resorted to in order to get confessions. Most of them are standard - attending a coven, using harmful magic, making a pact with the devil. But there were also some completely unusual ones.
For example, there is a known confession according to which Gowdy dug up the body of a child from a grave and used it for a spell to destroy Bradley's neighbor's crops. It sounds crazy, but Isabel had to give such testimony under torture. She also admitted that she spoiled her neighbors’ crops with the help of a frog, after which thistles grew there instead of crops. The woman also allegedly made Voodoo dolls of the offspring of a local lord and through them caused suffering to the men. Isabel also admitted that she cast a spell against the local minister Forbes, causing him to become ill. The same minister extracted Gowdy's confession.
In addition, the poor woman admitted to having a carnal relationship with the devil, describing all the details of these meetings. Allegedly, there were regular meetings and group ones. Isabel also treated people from complex diseases by transferring the disease from a sick person to animals or simple things.
How to achieve recognition
The suspects were kept in solitary confinement at the time. The case was investigated by two local ministers, Forbes and Rose, who clearly sought a guilty verdict and were biased.
The first words of the first confession have reached us:
"The said Isabel Gowdy repents of her heinous crimes of witchcraft."
Of course, we understand that there are no witches, and the woman was forced to confess to something she did not do. It was 1000 years ago, and 500, and exists now.
It is quite difficult for us now to imagine the fact that someone admits to a conspiracy with the devil, witchcraft, knowing that this will result in the death penalty. But they still admitted it. So does Isabelle Gowdy. I am sure that this was extracted from her by torture. Exactly what, we will never know. But we are no longer interested in this particular case, but in a sort of typical witch trial. In Scotland at that time the following tortures were used:
• Physical coercion. This includes torture machines. For example, an iron boot. True, such torture required the approval of the Privy Council. Its resolution was rarely resorted to, because witch cases were more often heard by Church courts, and they were prohibited from using direct torture. Although who and when did these prohibitions interfere with, if no one knows about them?
• Search for the devil's mark or prick. At that time there were special people who were injecting witches. It was used to determine whether there was a mark of the devil. A pin was stuck into the woman's body. If there is no blood, it means the witch has a pact with the devil. The injection specialist would undress the woman, shave her completely, and stick a pin into her body until he found a place where no blood flowed. I note that they were injected not with an ordinary small pin, but with a large thick one, the length of which could reach 10 cm. During such injections, women lost consciousness and bled. There have been cases where a retractable blade was used. It was hidden from the eyes of others, supposedly inserted into the skin, although it remained in the handle. Of course, in this case the blood did not flow. Yes, modesty was a priority back then. The suspects were stripped naked, touched, and for the women it was humiliation. Therefore, they confessed to everything, just so that such harassment would end.
• Sleep deprivation. This did not qualify as torture at that time. The accused was isolated and a guard was assigned to her, who did not allow the woman to fall asleep. Due to lack of sleep, after a few days the suspects began to hallucinate, which served as additional confirmation of the witchcraft sign for the prosecution.
• Harsh content. Women could not be fed for days, kept in cold and complete darkness, and treated cruelly.
• Other torture. This includes less common mob violence. It often manifested itself in beatings and sexual harassment. And also sometimes women admitted to having relations with the devil under the threat of cruel execution.
It is unknown whether Gowdy was executed or not. Most records of executions have not survived to the present day. Most likely, Isabel, like other girls, was transported to the then small village of Gallowhill, where they were strangled and burned. In those days, “witches” were often first strangled and then burned, so that they could not be resurrected. The executions were public and all members of the communities were present.
Isabel Gowdy probably had a mental illness, perhaps she suffered from ergotism - poisoning from ergot growing on rye. We will never know the truth about this poor woman, as well as about the others who were burned. But at least they lifted the veil a little in such matters.
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