Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-western District of Scotland

In the folklore of south-western Scotland, the ordinary world trembles under the pressure of hidden powers. Witches, fairies, ghosts, death omens, and funeral customs all mingle in a richly documented record of rural belief, where illness, bad luck, and strange weather could be read as signs of supernatural interference. Framed with scholarly sympathy, this study preserves the oral traditions of Galloway and its neighboring districts, tracing how superstition shaped fear, memory, and daily life. Its witchcraft chapters move from the evil eye and village suspicion to the dark pageantry of the witches' Sabbath, with Devil worship, shapeshifting, enchanted travel, and secret gatherings at places like Locharbriggs Hill, Sweetheart Abbey, and Caerlaverock Castle. Local figures such as Maggie Osborne, Bess o' Borgue, Glencairn Kate, and the witch of Hannayston stand beside the warlock Michael Scott, whose legend stretches from Glenluce Abbey to later literary romance. Alongside these tales are fairy adventures, changeling stories, ghostly warnings, and haunting scenes of sacred protection overcoming temptation, creating a vivid portrait of a region where the supernatural seemed close at hand. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.