Dede-Spall
The dede-spall was thought to be another omen of death. The following description is by J Maxwell Wood*. A dede-spall is ‘the semi-molten part of the grease of a candle (so called from its...
Mysterious Britain & Ireland
Dede-Chack or Dead-Watch
Can woodworms predict forthcoming deaths? According to ‘Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland’ (1911) by J Maxwell Wood,’significant terms associated with the premonition of death are the “dead-watch,” or “dede-chack,”...
Licht Before Death, Glencairn
There are many folk customs that are said to foretell a death. The following descriptions of a prophetic light in the communities around Glencairn are extracted from [Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western...
A39 Highwayman
Reputedly the ghost of a highway man named Thomas Pocock haunts the A39 around Ashcott. According to Laura Linham in her article published in Somerset Live [6 October 2017]. ‘If you live in Ashcott,...
Bogle-Hole, Dalry
The following account appeared in J Maxwell Wood’s ‘Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland’ which was published in 1911. ‘In the village of Dalry itself there stood a row of...
Pentoot and Gap’s Mill
The following account was extracted from an article by John Corrie in the ‘The Transactions and Journal of Proceedings of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society, Session 1890 – 1891’. ‘My...
Auchenstroan and Marwhirn
In his ‘Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland’ (1911), J Maxwell Wood, refers a few ‘ghostly vestiges’ in the Parish of Glencairn. According to his text ‘At Auchenstroan and Marwhirn...
A Case Of Turning The Key Divination (1697)
At the end of the 17th century, John Fergusson of Cummertrees was found guilty of using divination to identify a thief who had stolen a sack containing some cheese and herrings. The technique he...
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