Testament of a Witch by Douglas Watt sampler

douglas watt was born in Edinburgh and brought up there and in
Aberdeen. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh, where
he gained an ma and phd in Scottish History. Douglas is the author
of a series of historical crime novels set in late 17th century Scotland
featuring investigative advocate John MacKenzie and his sidekick
Davie Scougall. He is also the author of The Price of Scotland, a
prize-winning history of Scotland’s Darien Disaster. He lives in
Midlothian with his wife Julie.
by the same author
historical crime fiction:
Death of a Chief
Testament of a Witch
Pilgrim of Slaughter
The Unnatural Death of a Jacobite
history:
The Price of Scotland
Watt conjures up a pungent atmosphere of darkness and period detail.
the herald
A whodunnit satisfyingly rich in unfamiliar period detail.
morning star
Historical crime doesn’t come much better. Walking the streets of 17th
century Edinburgh has never been so vivid.
liam rudden
Paints the period vividly in a gripping read.
edinburgh evening news
Think Rebus for the 17th century, in a tense mystery.
scottish field
Watt really sinks his teeth into the drama unfolding at the time… Watt is
an intelligent writer. The strength and quality of his writing is maintained
throughout the book, ensuring it remains an intriguing read.
the courier & advertiser
Move over Rebus. There’s a new – or should that be old – detective in
town.
i-on edinburgh on Death of a Chief

This is Ian Rankin meets Sir Walter Scott (but without the academic
monologues): dastardly deeds, men and women with twisted motives,
dynastic struggles, bitter religious factionalism, all leavened with some
hints of romance, but the essence of the tale remains the mystery of
MacLean’s death and its unravelling… a rollicking good read.
lothian life on Death of a Chief
Very evocative and atmospheric.
crimesquad on Death of a Chief
Conjures up an Edinburgh which is strangely familiar but also
somewhat different to the present-day city.
edinburgh evening news on Death of a Chief
Conjures up a convincingly dark atmosphere at this cusp of the age of
reason.
the herald on Testament of a Witch
A thoroughly well told and entertaining historical crime drama…
Historical fiction needs to be well researched, but from a reader’s point
of view the results of the research need to be woven into a narrative in
a way that appears effortless. Douglas Watt has succeeded admirably in
immersing the reader in a Scotland very alien to the one we see around
us today. The historical settings and characters feel just right, and the
result is a book which both entertains and informs.
undiscovered scotland on Testament of a Witch
The book is well written, well plotted and the main characters engage
our sympathies from the outset. The murder and detection elements
are woven well into the historical aspects of the book. The descriptions
of how witches were identified and dealt with are both fascinating and
horrifying.
fictionfan on Testament of a Witch
Edinburgh is one of the book’s main characters, and Douglas Watt
has caught the rhythms of the great city – it’s pulsating politics, its
strict religious codes tempered by bawdiness, and its grasping love of
commerce and money.
crimesquad on Pilgrim of Slaughter
Watt skilfully reconstructs the political events of the period and weaves
a convincing mystery around them.
lothian life on Pilgrim of Slaughter

The identity of the murderer will keep you guessing until the very
end and the idea a murderer is on the loose during the turmoil of
the revolution keeps the pages turning. A must-read if either murder
mysteries or history are your thing.
nicky cooper brown on Pilgrim of Slaughter

Testament of a Witch
DOUGLAS WATT

First published 2011
New edition 2021
isbn: 978-1-913025-28-1
The author’s right to be identified as author of this book
under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 has been asserted.
The paper used in this book is recyclable.
It is made from low chlorine pulps
produced in a low energy, low emission manner
from renewable forests.
Printed and bound
by iPrint Global, Ely
Typeset in 10.5 point Sabon
by Main Point Books, Edinburgh
© Douglas Watt 2011

To Robbie

Nam, ut vere loquamur, superstitio fusa per gentis oppressit
omnium fere animos atque hominum imbecillitatem occupavit.
Cicero, De Divinatione, Book 2, Chapter 72
Speaking frankly, superstition, which is widespread among
the nations, has taken advantage of human weakness
to cast its spell over the mind of almost every man.

testament of a witch
prelude
A Sermon on Witchcraft
October 1687
‘this parish is enthralled to the Devil,’ the minister began
his sermon, carefully articulating each word. He was a young
man in his thirties dressed in black gowns, standing in a large
wooden pulpit elevated above the congregation. On the canopy
above his head, a board was carved with the text: ‘Fear the
Lord and honour his house.’ His eyes darted round the packed
church, moving from face to face.
‘This parish is enthralled to the Devil,’ he repeated, before
turning over an hourglass at the side of the lectern. ‘Satan walks
amongst us.’ He waited through an intense silence.
‘We begin,’ he continued, ‘with Exodus Chapter 22, Verse
18.’ The people knew what was coming. They had heard the
verse on countless Sabbaths. He raised the volume of his voice:
‘Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.’ Then shouting: ‘Thou
shalt not suffer a witch to live!’
His eyes came to rest on two penitents, a man and woman
wearing sackcloth, sitting on stools at the front. Cards tied to
their shoulders allowed those behind to read the words scrolled
in capitals on their backs:
‘FORNICATOR, FILTHY WHORE’.
‘We have in this verse a precept of the Law of God, a precept
of law given to the judges of the people of Israel, a precept given
to those to whom the power of the sword is committed. They
shall not suffer a witch to live.’ Again silence.
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douglas watt
‘But what is a witch?’ He glared across the worshippers
before looking down at his notes. Some gazed longingly back
at him. Others were so terrified they could not raise their eyes
lest he see into their black hearts.
‘By a witch is understood to be a person that hath immediate
converse with the Devil. So Leviticus Chapter 20, Verse 27 tells
us: “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that
is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them
with stones: their blood shall be upon them.” The spirit of God
doth expressly mention either man or woman.’
His eyes shone with the ecstasy of power. ‘And Deuteronomy
Chapter 18, Verses 10 to 13, says: “There shall not be
found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter
to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer
of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter
with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all
that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord.”’
He snatched a look at the hourglass. There was still plenty
of time. He repeated with more vigour: ‘An abomination unto
the Lord!’
Raising his eyes, he continued: ‘There are some sins so gross
in nature that every single act of them deserves death by the law
of God.’ He slowed his delivery to emphasise what followed:
‘Such sins are bestiality, incest and sodomy. And so I take an act
of witchcraft to be such a gross sin. Every act deserves death by
the law of God.’ The expression on his face was suffused with
such earnestness, no one could have doubted that he believed
what he said.
‘What constitutes a person to be a witch? I speak now of both
men and women, as from scripture. It requires a real compact
between Satan and that person. They receive the Devil’s Mark
upon their flesh. Or the parent offers their child unto Satan.’
He addressed a line of older children in the second pew on
the left side of the congregation: ‘The parent offers their child
to him. They receive his mark just as the children of professing
parents receiving baptism will be in covenant with God. A
witch shall worship Satan as their God. They shall follow him
as their guide. They are constituted to be worshippers of Satan.
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testament of a witch
They sell themselves in body and soul to do wickedness. They
follow the Devil who is the prince of the power of the air.’ He
lowered his head, briefly pausing.
‘Why do God’s creatures turn from him? It flows from the
blindness and perverseness that have fallen upon us by the fall of
Man. It flows from people who undervalue, slight and condemn
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It flows from the prevalence of lust
and corruption among the people in the visible church. It flows
from covetousness, pride and malice.’ He raised his head: ‘Turn
you away from Satan.’ Then, after another longer pause, lifting
his voice: ‘Turn you away from Satan!’, then shouting: ‘Turn
you away from Satan!’
He stared again at the penitents. The woman looked down at
her bare feet in humiliation. The man gazed at the whitewashed
wall behind the minister.
‘Men and women are led by Satan to carry out deeds of
depravity and evil whether by ordinary means, such as using a
cord or napkin to strangle with, or by putting pins in a picture
or clay figure, roasting it on a fire and flaming it with vinegar
and brandy. This is done to put an innocent person to torment.
Witches are called to meetings by Satan where all manner
of debauchery and perversity is manifest, such as dancing,
drinking strong liquor and singing. All kinds of sin are indulged
in, including,’ he paused to emphasise what was coming, ‘the
gravest sin of all, the grossest sin imaginable – carnal dealings
with Satan. It is so opposite to that natural moral honesty which
dignifies the marriage of man and woman. It flows from that
blindness and perverseness that have fallen upon us by the fall
of Man.
‘Witches are the greatest hypocrites under the sun. Witchcraft
is one of those evil deeds that the spirit of God enjoins death
upon. There are today witches in our midst who pollute the
parish of Lammersheugh, bringing discord and immorality. We
desire that God will bring their works of darkness to light so
that His enemies may be punished. Satan blinds the mind of
those that despise the Gospel. Show us, oh God – show us who
they are.’
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douglas watt
The silence was unbearable. It was broken by a finely dressed
middle-aged woman rising from her pew. With head bowed, she
walked to a side door and left the kirk. She was followed by an
old woman, shuffling behind.
The movement distracted the minister, breaking the dramatic
momentum of his sermon. Although he was angered by the
interruption, he quickly gathered his thoughts.
‘Satan blinds the mind of those who despise the Gospel. Let
this humble us all. Let us bewail it as a great evil that such a
place as Scotland, where the gospel of Christ has been purely
preached, should have so many under suspicion of the crime
of witchcraft. You that are free, bless God that hath kept you
from the wicked one, and pray out of zeal to God and his Glory
that he shall bring these works of darkness to light that mar our
solemnities and are fearful spots in our feasts. I beseech you, be
vigilant. Watch your neighbours. Watch your children. Watch
your mother and your father. Watch your master and your
servant. None are free from the stain that darkens the nation.
Satan walks and smiles in our parish. He spreads evil amongst
us. Let us pray…’
Placing a hand on the Bible in the lectern, he closed his eyes,
raising the other above his head, palm outwards. At last he
appeared to relax. A smile was on his face. It was the smile of
a man communing with God, the smile of a man who knew
God, a man who knew he was right in what he did, a man who
knew that he was saved, chosen from the beginning of time to
be one of God’s Elect. The congregation lowered their heads
and followed the prayer.
‘Let all the congregation say Amen. Let all the saints in
heaven and earth praise him. Let all the congregation say Amen.
Let sun and moon praise him. Let fire, hailstorms, winds and
vapours praise him. Let all the congregation say Amen. Let men
and women praise him. Let all the congregation say Amen.’
14

testament of a witch
chapter 1
Lammer Law
the woman was a streak of black against the browns and greens
of the broad rounded hilltop. She stood under a heavy sky beside
a small copse of birch. Staring northwards, she listened to the
wind in the leaves. It was their last song before autumn cast
them into the universe.
When she removed her bonnet, dark auburn hair flecked with
grey fell down onto her shoulders. She let the breeze enliven her
pallid face as she watched a small boat miles away on the Firth,
far beneath her to the north. It was bound for Leith, having
crossed the German Sea with a cargo from Amsterdam, she
supposed. In her mind she saw a sailor on board thinking of his
sweetheart in the Indies, a world away. She felt his loneliness as
he stared on the grey sky and brown hills of Scotland. Her own
daughters had always loved her stories. Their two faces came
to her as they were when young girls. They had lived inside her
body once, also. She had been able to protect them, then.
She looked over to the Bass Rock, a dark tooth protruding
from the sea. It was where the conventiclers were imprisoned;
rigid, self-righteous men. Her eyes moved to the cone-shaped
Berwick Law where they burned witches long ago. In the far
distance to the west was the sleeping lion of Arthur’s Seat and
the town of Edinburgh. She had not been there for years, not
since before Alexander’s death. Her eyes focused on a castle in
the foreground, perhaps two miles to the north-east of where she
stood, but a thousand feet beneath her. It was a fine structure,
perhaps more of a great house than a fortified dwelling, for it
had been substantially altered by the Earl during her lifetime.
15

douglas watt
Tweeddale was the head of her husband’s family, the Hays. But
she did not think that he would be able to help her.
A few miles from the castle were the lineaments of her own
world. How still and peaceful it appeared from here – the spire
of a kirk, a few dwelling houses between the trees, the gables of
Lammersheugh House where she had lived since her marriage,
all those years before. The House was surrounded by gardens
which they had planted together. It seemed like another world,
or someone else’s life. She saw him as she always did when she
thought of him, or when someone spoke of him, walking in
the garden in summer. The image of his body sent a wave of
excitement through her. The girls are playing at his feet. He
takes one of them by the arms, Euphame, and lifts her off the
ground. There are screams of delight. Then the image fades. His
arm is round her waist in the lengthening shadows. The memory
of the feel of him returns, the memory of happiness – real love,
not just desire. They had known each other since they were
children, although he was two years older. There had always
been something between them. She had watched him standing
beside his tall sister in the kirk. But she had not expected that
he would choose her. She was the daughter of a decaying house.
When he had gone to college in Edinburgh the heart was ripped
from her life. The two long years he was in Europe were empty
ones when she imagined he had found a rich foreign heiress. But
he came back to her, as he had said he would.
She closed her eyes, luxuriating in the bliss of bygone years.
It was as if they had lived in a storybook which was not real,
a dream maybe. This was real life. She opened her eyes. Pain
engulfed her like the tide on a lonely shore.
The vision of the garden was gone. She saw him lying in
his winding sheet; pale, cold, but still beautiful. Now he would
never return from across the water. And would she ever see him
again? In her heart she believed that the minister and elders were
wrong. There was still a chance that they might be reunited. She
must believe that.
‘Grissell.’
For a moment she thought that he was calling her name, that
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testament of a witch
he had come back to her. But in an instant despair returned. The
voice was familiar. But it was not his. She did not turn in the
direction it came from. The realisation of the present cut deep.
She did not hate the voice, only the thought that it was not his.
She imagined the small red heart beating inside her.
17

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