Margaret Burges

Margaret Burges (c. 1579- Jan. 1629), also known as 'Lady Dalyell'[1] was a Scottish businesswoman from Nether Cramond who was found guilty of witchcraft and executed in Edinburgh in 1629.

Personal life

Burges was married to a boatman named John Gillespie before her second husband, John Dalyell.[1] She was a successful figure in middle-class Cramond business, renting property to several tenants and employing a number of servants.[1]

Trial and execution

Burges was first accused of witchcraft following a dispute in front of her home.[2] Burges had sent away a beggar named Elspeth Baird for her 'evil brint.'[3] As revenge, Baird accused Burges of witchcraft. Burges then attempted to clear her name by filing a slander suit, which backfired and led to her trial and eventual execution.[4] From testimony in the slander suit, the Cramond Kirk Session determined there was sufficient evidence against Burges for a formal investigation by the Privy Council.[2] This testimony included a line of questioning with Burges' teenaged servant, who claimed that Burges had kissed her repeatedly on many occasions.[4] Further evidence against Burges was a Devil's mark located on her leg.[1] Following her trial on 27 January, 1629 she was strangled and burnt on Castle Hill in Edinburgh.

References
  1. The new biographical dictionary of Scottish women. Ewan, Elizabeth. Edinburgh. 2018. p. 62. ISBN 9781474436298. OCLC 1057237368.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. "Survey Database, Survey of Scottish Witchcraft, Scottish History, School of History and Classics, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland". witches.shca.ed.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  3. "Survey Database, Survey of Scottish Witchcraft, Scottish History, School of History and Classics, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland". witches.shca.ed.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  4. "Survey Database, Survey of Scottish Witchcraft, Scottish History, School of History and Classics, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland". witches.shca.ed.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
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