THE
TRIAL
OF
WILLIAM COKE AND ALISON DICK,
FOR
WITCHCRAFT.
Extracted from the Minutes of the Kirk-Session of Kirkaldy, A. D. 1636.
September 6th, 1633.
The which day, compeared Alison Dick, challenged upon some speeches uttered by her against William Coke, tending to witchcraft,—denied the samyne.
1. Compeared Alexander Savage, Andrew Nicol, and George Tillie, who being admitted and sworn, deponed as follows: The said Alexander Savage, that he heard the said Alison Dick say to her husband William Coke, 'Thou has put down many ships; it had been gude for the people of Kirkaldie, that they had knit a stone about thy neck and drowned thee.'
2. Andrew Nicol deponed, that he heard the said Alison say to him, 'Thou has gotten the woman's song laid, as thou promised; thou art over-long living; it had been gude for the women of Kirkaldy, that thou had been dead long since. I shall cause all the world wonder upon thee.'
3. George Tillie deponed, that he heard her say to him, 'It had been gude for the women of Kirkaldy, to put him to death; and that he had died seven years since.'
Also compeared Jean Adamson, Kathrine Spens, Marion Meason, Isobel Murison, Alison Kelloch, who being admitted and sworn, deponed as follows:
4. Jean Adamson deponed, that she heard Alison Dick say to her husband William Coke, 'Thief! Thief! what is this that I have been doing? keeping the thretty years from meikle evil doing. Many pretty men has thou putten down both in ships and boats; thou has gotten the woman's song laid now. Let honest men puddle and work as they like, if they please not thee well, they shall not have meikle to the fore when they die.'
5. Kathrine Spens deponed, that she heard her say to him, 'Common thief, I have hindered thee from many ill turns doing, both to ships and boats.'
6. Marion Meason deponed, that she heard her say, 'Common thief, mony ill turn have I hindered thee from doing thir thretty years; mony ships and boats has thou put down; and when I would have halden the string to have saved one man, thou wald not.'
7. Isobel Murison deponed, that she heard her say to him, 'Thief, thief, I have keeped thee from doing many ill turnes. Thou has now laid the woman's song.'
September 24th, 1633.
8. Compeared Janet Allan, relict of umquhile John Duncan fisher, deponed, that Alison Dick came in upon a certain time to her house, when she was lying in of a bairn, and craved some sour bakes; and she denying to give her any, the said Alison said, your bairns shall beg yet, (as they do.) And her husband being angry at her, reproved her; and she abused him in language; and when he strak her, she said, that she should cause him rue it; and she hoped to see the powarts bigg in his hair; and within half a year he was casten away, and his boat, and perished.
9. Janet Sauders, daughter-in-law to the said William Coke and Alison Dick, deponed, that William Coke came in to her, and she being weeping, he demanded the cause of it, she answered, it was for her husband. The said William said, What ails thee? Thou wilt get thy gudman again, but ye will get him both naked and bare; and whereas there was no word of him for a long time before, he came home within two days thereafter, naked and bare as he said; the ship wherein he was being casten away.
4, 10. Jean Adamson deponed, that when her gudman sailed with David Robertson, the said David having sent him home with a ship to come for Scotland, there was a long time that there was no word of that ship; so that David Robertson coming home, and the other ship not come, nor no word from her, he said he would never see her. The said Alison Dick came in to her, (she with her bairns being weeping), and said, What ails ye Jean to weep? She answered, We have all good cause to weep for my husband, whom we will never see more. The said Alison said, hold your tongue, your gudman and all the company are well enough; they are in Norway loading their ship with timber to come home, they will be here shortly. And so it fell out in every point as she said.
5, 11. Kathrine Spens deponed, that William Coke came in to her, after that his wife had spoken so much evil to him, and said, Kathrine, my wife has spoken meikle ill of me this day, but I said nothing to her again. If I had spoken two words to her the last time she was in the steeple, she would never have gotten out of it.