Janet Boyman
Janet Boyman, also known as Jonet Boyman or Janet Bowman,[a] was a Scottish woman accused of witchcraft; she was tried and executed in 1572 although the case against her was started in 1570.[5] Her indictment has been described by modern-day scholars, such as Lizanne Henderson, as the earliest and most comprehensive record of witchcraft and fairy belief in Scotland.[5]
Accusations of witchcraft
Boyman was alleged to have predicted the death of Regent Moray, and her accusation was the first to be made in connection with a political conspiracy.[2][6]
Personal life
There is little information available concerning Boyman's personal life; however the trial record shows her as living in Cowgate, a street in Edinburgh.[5] No indication is given of her age but she was married to William Steill.[5]
References
Notes
Citations
- ^ Hutton (2017), p. 219
- ^ a b "Janet Boyman (29/12/1572)", Survey of Scottish Witchcraft Database, University of Edinburgh, retrieved 10 March 2018
- ^ Henderson (2011), p. 231
- ^ Anderson (1877), p. 363
- ^ a b c d Henderson (2011), p. 244
- ^ "Hubble bubble, toil and trouble: Scotland's dark past as a witch-hunting nation". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
Bibliography
- Anderson, William (1877), The Scottish nation: or, The surnames, families, literature, honours, and biographical history of the people of Scotland, Fullerton
- Henderson, Lizanne (2011), "'Detestable slaves of the devil': Changing ideas about witchcraft in sixteenth-century Scotland", in Cowan, Edward J.; Henderson, Lizanne (eds.), A History of Everyday Life in Medieval Scotland, 1000 to 1600, Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 978-0748621576
- Hutton, Ronald (2017), The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present, Yale University Press, ISBN 978-0-300-22904-2