Witches in Scotland and Margaret Fleming

[Leo van de Pas]

Having looked around a bit more, I found Margaret Fleming died
between 15 August 1584 and 15 March 1587. Also I found a reference
in the Complete Peerage where she is given, in Volume VIII,
appendix D.

Margaret Fleming, daughter of Malcolm, 3rd Lord Fleming, by Janet
Stewart (natural daughter of James IV, King of Scots by Agnes Stewart,
afterwards Countess of Bothwell), was reputed to have powers of incantation,
and is said, at the birth of James VI, 19 June 1566, to have cast the
pains of childbirth from the Queen upon Margaret Beaton.

Witches in Scotland "claimed to be able to cause and to prevent
pregnancy, to cause and prevent easy delivery, to cast the labour-pains
on an animal or a human being (husbands who were the victims are
peculiarly insenced against these withches).

Margaret Fleming may, therefore, be taken to have been a member of the
'Dianist' cult, or 'witch-organisation' which appears to have been
considered by James VI as one of the most dangerous menaces to his
person and Crown. Margaret Fleming's son, the Earl of Atholl, married
Mary, sister of John, Earl of Gowrie (of the Gowrie conspiracy) who,
together with his father and grandfather, were "suspected of practising
necromancy and witchcraft."

This Mary, Countess of Atholl, was privy to the conspiracy of 1593, when
Francis Stewart, Earl of Bothwell, was suddenly introduced by her into the
King's bedroom. Bothwell was at that time the Arch-Dianist of Scotland,
or "Devil of the witches", and, as such, was recognised by the numerous
votaries of the witch-organisation as being the temporary incarnation
of their god.

That he had a possible claim to the throne, as being the senior
illegitimate, though legitimised descendant of James V in the male
line, doubtless caused him to wield his spirtual authority in the way
best calculated to obtain the temporal power for himself.

There is more in this appendix but nothing substantial for Margaret
Fleming.

Leo van de Pas