TAP Field Report No. 5 A survey of Shetland's gallow hills Joris ...

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TAP Field Report No. 5Source: Sinclair 1685: 231Note:Sinclair gives the following account: “In Shetland a few years ago, a judgehaving condemned an old woman and her daughter called Helen Stewartfor witch-craft, sent them to be burn’d. The maid was so stupid, that she wasthought to be possessed. When she had hung some little time on the gibbet, ablack pitchy-like ball foamed out of her mouth: and after the ire was kindled,it grew to the bigness of a walnut, and then lew up like squibs into the air,which the judge yet living attests. It was taken to be a visible sign that thedevil was gone out of her’.c.1675Convict:‘Luggie’ (nickname)Trial: ?Committed crime: witchcraftSentence:burned at the stakePlace of execution: ScallowayVerdict: ?Source: Sinclair 1685: 237 f. Brand 1701: 167Note:It is not clear whether the accounts given by Sinclair and Brand arebased on a historical case or rather represent a legend. Sinclair gives thefollowing account: (...) a wizzard accused and execute in Shetland, beforenamed, for witchcraft several years ago, called Luggie, to a nick-name, whobeing a isher, had a trick at any time, when hungry at sea, to cast out his line,and would out of Neptuns lowest kitching, bring cliverly up ish well boiledand roasted. And his comerades by a natural courage, would make a merrymeal thereof, not questioning who was cook. He had another piece of art,at any time in the year, or in great storms, to go up to an high hill near hisown house, whereupon there was a deep pit, out of which, with his lines hedrew up codlings, or keeling for his provision, which never man could do buthimself. This story is true, being yet to be seen in the criminal books of thatcountrey.”According to Brand, this Luggie used to live at Kebister, ‘about a mile fromTingwall to the North’, where there still is a hill called Luggies Knowe (infact this is 3 miles northeast of Tingwall).1685Convict:John JohnsonTrial: ?Committed crime: thieverySentence:the accused was dragged from Scalloway castle to the execution site onGallow Hill with his hands bound behind his back, and whipped by thehangman. After that, he was nailed with his ears to the gallows whilestanding on a stone, and then thrown down. The convict was then returnedto prison and inally banished forever from Shetland.Place of execution: ScallowayVerdict:taken to the comone hangman as a bund thief, with his hands behind his back,and scurged from the castell [to] the gallows, and... receave threscoir of strypsor lasches from the hand of the said comone hangman, and therafter his lugs44
Gallow hillsto be naild to the gallous, a stone being under his feitt to make it a step height,and... after he is nailld therto he may fall therfrom, the stone being takneaway from under his feitt.Source: Smith 2006c.1690Convict:Barbara TullochEllen KingTrial: ?Committed crime: witchcraftSentence:burned at the stakePlace of execution: Scalloway, Gallow HillVerdict: ?Source: Turnbull 1845: 60. Smith 2006.Note: Tulloch is referred to in the Tingwall kirk session as ‘a brunt witch’ in 1693 (Smith 2006).She may have been the last person sentenced to death in Shetland.45
Page 1 and 2: TAP Field Report No. 5A survey ofSh
Page 3 and 4: Gallow hillsTable of contentsIntrod
Page 5 and 6: Gallow hills
Page 7 and 8: Gallow hillssite’s biography and
Page 10 and 11: TAP Field Report No. 5to the northw
Page 12 and 13: TAP Field Report No. 5Figure 11 Top
Page 14 and 15: TAP Field Report No. 5 Figure 17 V
Page 16 and 17: TAP Field Report No. 5Hills (252m).
Page 18 and 19: TAP Field Report No. 59) Watch Hill
Page 20: TAP Field Report No. 5Figure 28 Top
Page 23 and 24: Gallow hillsFigure 36 Topography of
Page 25 and 26: Gallow hillsWilgi Geos should proba
Page 27 and 28: Gallow hillsboth from the sea and l
Page 29 and 30: Gallow hillsFigure 44 Location of p
Page 31 and 32: Gallow hillsas Herrisdale (Park) an
Page 33 and 34: Gallow hillsof the discussed sites
Page 35 and 36: Gallow hillsturn are strongly conne
Page 37 and 38: Gallow hillsNotes1Brian Smith, foru
Page 39 and 40: Gallow hillsCrawford, O.G.S. 1922.
Page 41 and 42: Gallow hillsAppendix IHistorically
Page 43: Gallow hills‘Luckymenis Ness’ (
Page 47 and 48: Gallow hills47
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