Euphan M’Calzeane was a lady possessed of a considerable estate in her own right. She was the daughter of Thomas M’Calzeane, Lord Cliftonhall, (one of the senators of the College of Justice), whose death in 1581 spared him the disgrace and misery of seeing his daughter fall by the hands of the executioner. She was married to a gentleman of her own name, by whom she had three children. She was accused of treasonably conspiring the King's death by enchantments; (Rec. of Just. 8th May 1591) particularly by framing a waxen picture of the King; of raising storms to hinder his return from Denmark; and of various other articles of witchcraft.
She was heard by council in her defence, and found guilty by the jury which consisted of landed gentlemen of note; and her punishment was still more severe than that commonly inflicted on the Wayward Sisters. She was burned alive and her estate confiscated.
Her children, however, after being thus barbarously robbed of their mother, were restored by Act of Parliament against the forfeiture (Unprinted Acts, AD 1592 No. 70). The Act does not say that the sentence was unjust, but that the King was touched in honour and conscience to restore the children. But to move the wheels of His Majesty’s conscience, the children had to grease them, by a payment of five thousand merks to the donator of escheat (he who obtains a gift of the forfeiture) and by relinquishing the estate of Clifton Hall, which the King gave to Sir James Sandilands of Slamanno.
As a striking picture of the state of justice, humanity, and science in those times (Johnftoni Hiftoria Rerum Britannicarum, p172. See also p155 of this work) it may be remarked, that this Sir James Sandilands, a favourite of the King (‘ex interiore principis ‘familiaritate’), who received this estate, (which the daughter of one Lord of Session forfeited on account of her being a witch), did that very year murder another Lord of Session in the suburbs of Edinburgh in the public street, without undergoing either trial or punishment.
Corstorphine Church session minutes for 3rd June 1649 states: -
William Bell gave in a Bill of Complaint against Christian Williamson and Janet Baillie for calling his wife, Margaret, 'Magic Bell a witch'. On compearing, "they denyed having called her a witch, but they had heard sundrie say that she gate not a good word". Margaret Aikman also averred that her son, John Hunter, being feed to work for Margaret Bell, and refusing to do so, she said, "Margaret Aikman, ye shall get little good of him". He immediately fell into "ane sickness not ordinary - now extremely hot, now extremely cold" - and about a week later his mother begged Margaret Bell to go and see him, and upon her saying three or four times, "God bless him", he grew better. Bessie Scott also deponed that, upon her refusing Margaret some worsted, she cursed her, and immediately she fell into an "extraordinary sickness"; and that coming to Magic Bell’s house, to "ask her health of her for God-sake, and pouke her taile, qlk she did" and returning home she fell asleep, and when she awoke "something rough like a worm" came out of her mouth and she recovered. On this and other evidence the witch was kept fast and watched.
In her confession before the minister and others, she allowed that, eighteen years before, "she dwelling then in Merchistoun, she mett with the divell, upon a nigt at even, behind the place of Merchistoun, qho asked her if she would be his servant, to the qlk she granted, renounced her baptisme, and was baptised over again. She met sundrie times with him, both when she dwelt at the West Port of Edinburgh at the back of the town wall at the Qarrel-holle, with sundrie others, who she said, were alle dead in the plague; and dwelling in the Park of Corstorphine she met sundrie times with the divell in the brooms". She also implicated "Clattering Megge, qho dwells in Ratho; Kett Gibb, in Gogar; and Marion Inglis, who confessed and others".
Margaret (Magic) Bell held to her confession, but on being condemned to be burnt, "going to the place of execution denyed all by the way, and dyed denying".
On July 22nd Kett Gibb deponed before the minister, Sir John Cupar of Gogar, Thomas Alon, John Yorkson, elders and Mr Archibald Cameron, with sundry others,"That, being about twenty years old (and now eighty) upon a day she kept knolt and sheep in park of Kinnel, the divell appeared to her in the likeness of a mukill grim man, and asked her what age she was of, and if she would be his servant, qho answered she wold", &c., &c.
Under entry August 19, appears Bessie Scott’s confession, to the effect that her mother took her to the Park, and that there "she met with the divell in the likeness of a man clothed in grey; and, as she thought, he rose out of the ground". With her was Margaret (Magic) Bell and her uncle, William Scott. On her promising to be his servant she renounced her baptisme, the divell sprinkled water on her face, and called her maid, and nipped her, qlk was so sore that she cried out, and became mad (qlk was known to be true, but not the cause thereof)", &c.
In William Scott’s deposition he confesses to having met with a man clothed in brown while returning from Coltbridge with Bettie Watson (Bessie Scott’s mother), who asked him to be his servant; and on his renouncing his baptisme, they "nipped him through the sark, and he said it was the sorest nip he ever felt". Both Alexander Scott and Bessie Scott died confessing, and were burnt August 28th.
Very interesting evidence crops up in the trial of Marion Inglis, as entered 9th September, as to the practice of searching the body for the "divell’s marks". One John Kincaid, evidently a professional searcher, having found marks on the two Scotts,was instructed to serarch Marion Inlis. "George Lord Forrester sent about Marion Inglis for tryal, and John at that time fand two marks upon her, qlk he, upon oath, averred to be the divell’s marks, with which all that was there rested content".
On the matter of the marks coming before the Presbytery, they appear to have been dissatisfied with the evidence; and on John Kincaid trying the woman again, "he gave not satisfaction either to Mr William Dalgleish, the minister, Florence Gardner, David Clerk, or sundrie others, for the woman cried pitifully, and the place qr the prins were putt in uped with blood a little", &c., &c.
It is not recorded what happened to Clattering Meg from Ratho.