Never on a Sunday - magic and the Sabbath

Rowan trees have a special place in Scottish folklore. They are traditionally seen to have apotropaic power - that is, they can ward off witchcraft, and particularly the evil eye. Sometimes this tradition can appear in unexpected places, such as this case from the Kirk Session of Cumbernauld parish, from 1728:

18th Febry 1728
The which Day, the Session, upon Information that Mary, George & Alexr Starks in Cumbernauld had last Lord’s Day been taken up in using Charms as Antidotes to bodily Disorders which they imputed to Witchcraft, appointed their Officer to summond them to next meeting.

25th Febry 1728
This Day Mary, George & Alexr Starks, summoned & called, Compeared; when Geo & Alexr Starks confessed that they, at the Desire of the said Mary, went to the Wood on the Lord’s Day, & brought thence a timber called Rowntree, which the said Mary owned she boiled & gave the juice of it to her Daughter to drink. But declares she gave it not as any Charm for Witchcraft but merely as a Drunk that might do good to her Daughter’s Health. They were removed. And the Session finding that the Guilt in this Case is Principally Profanation of the Lord’s Day, after deliberating on the several Circumstances of it, they judged it proper, & accordingly appointed that Geo & Alexr Starks be rebuked before the publick Congregation on this Day three weeks; & if they give satisfying evidences of their Repentance be absolved; & that they attend the Minr, twixt & that time, to be conversed with.

17th March 1728
George & Alexr Starks appeared before the Congregation this Day to be rebuked & shew Repentance of their Sin of Sabbath Breaking, & other suspicious Practices; & Alexr Stark professing a suitable Sorrow for & Repentance of his sin was absolved; But George discovering no such Disposition, is continued under Scandal.

[Cumbernauld Kirk Session minutes, NRS Ref CH2/79/1]

Clearly the members of Cumbernauld Kirk Session were more concerned with Sabbath breaking than the potential use of magic. But this is just one example of some of the fascinating snippets of social, local and family history to be found in the Kirk Session records. We will be writing more about some of our discoveries in Kirk Session records over the next few months as we roll out our kirk session records lookup service.