Marie Lamont

[3][4] Sir Archibald Stewart of Blackhall, Laird of Ardgowan had applied to the Privy Council for a Royal Enquiry into the practice of witchcraft in the Inverkip area.

[3] The other members of the commission were John Brisbane the Younger of Bishopton, Cornelius Crawford of Jordanhill, Alexander Cuningham of Craigends (a church elder), Sir George Maxwell of Nether Pollok, Hugh Montgomery of Silverwood (another Sheriff Depute), Robert Montgomery of Hazlehead, John Porterfield the Younger of that Ilk, and Archibald Stewart of Scotstown.

[7] The usual victims of the hunts were female,[3] and a commonly shared characteristic was a sharp tongue along with a lack of deference shown towards authority.

[6] Being troubled in conscience or having feelings of despair were viewed by Puritans as the emotional sign of the liminal stage between the life of sin and that of regeneration[6] and thus the accused being in this state of mind could be interpreted as confirmation of guilt.

[3] At trial she freely admitted that she had become a witch at the age of 13 years, when under the influence of Catherine Scott she allegedly renounced her Christian faith, was baptised by the devil and renamed "Clowts".

[8] She confessed to having sexual relations with the devil[9] several times when he appeared to her as a brown dog, and this had left marks on her right side where he had nipped her.

[10][11] She said that along with Jean King, Kattie Scott, Janet Holm and sundry others she had met at the bucht-gait[12] of Ardgowan in the presence of the devil, who appeared to them on this occasion in the shape of a black man with cloven feet.