Guernsey Folk Lore: a collection of popular superstitions, legendary tales, peculiar customs, proverbs, weather sayings, etc., of the people of that islandMacCulloch, Edgar, Sir
History
Guernsey Folk Lore: a collection of popular superstitions, legendary tales, peculiar customs, proverbs, weather sayings, etc., of the people of that island
MacCulloch, Edgar, Sir
Folklore -- Guernsey
Collas Hugues appeared in person and showed his child to us in the
Court. This said child cannot talk except at random and with an
impediment in its speech that none can cure; and he declares his
conviction that his said child is “detained” (detenu) by some wizard,
and he will take his oath that it is Collas De la Rue who “detains”
him, inasmuch that the latter threatened him that he would afflict
him through his most precious treasure (du plus cher joyau qu’il peut
avoir). On this declaration, Her Majesty’s Procureur testified to us
that the said De la Rue had formerly been imprisoned for sorcery, and
now, that though he had not always been proved guilty, yet that to all
outward appearance he had practised the art of witchcraft, and so much
so, that new complaints being made against him, he had demanded the
arrest and the confiscation of the goods of the said De la Rue, which
was granted.
On the 25th of December an investigation was ordered.
DECEMBER, 1585.
James Blanche affirms that on a certain day, having promised to go
for a day’s work to the aforesaid De la Rue, and not having done so,
that he was heard to say to one of his people, that he, Blanche,
should repent, and that soon afterwards his wife was seized with an
illness which lasted for nearly a year. So that, finding the said De
la Rue near “La Croix Guerin,”[151] he asked him if he could give him
something to cure his wife. Then the said De la Rue took an apple,
which he broke into six parts, of which he retained one, and gave the
remaining five pieces to the said Blanche to carry back to his wife,
forbidding him at the same time to eat a mouthful. Notwithstanding,
when he quitted De la Rue, he ate the said apple, and at that moment
the said De la Rue appeared before him, he having not yet reached his
own house, and taxed him with having eaten the forbidden apple, and the
same day his wife was cured. He, Blanche, says that this is a man given
to threats, and is much suspected and generally denounced as being a
wizard, and he has even heard that people have called him “sorcier” to
his face and he has not resented it.
[151] EDITOR’S NOTE.--The old name for the cross roads at St. Martin’s,
near where the village Post Office now stands.
DECEMBER, 1585.
Jehennet des Perques deposed that at divers times the said Collas De
la Rue went to the fishermen and foretold to them when they should
have fine weather and when they should have storms.… He was commonly
reported to be a wizard. He also deposed that on a certain day, he
being at the house of Collas Henry, where the said De la Rue had
quarrelled with the wife of Collas de Bertran, who had called him
“sorcier” (wizard), he threatened her that she should repent, and that
the said Mrs. de Bertran fell in descending the stairs (cheut aval les
degrez) and bruised herself from head to foot.
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