Barbara Napier facts for kids
Barbara Napier was a Scottish woman who faced serious accusations during the North Berwick witch trials in 1591. She was found guilty of talking to people accused of witchcraft. It's not fully clear what happened to her after her trial, unlike others who were executed.
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Her Life and Family
Barbara Napier might have been related to William Napier of Wrychtishousis, a castle that no longer exists near Edinburgh. In 1572, she married a bookseller named George Ker. After he died in 1576, she married Archibald Douglas, a well-known person in Edinburgh. Her family included a son and a daughter named Janet Douglas.
People at the time, like the writer David Moysie, said that Barbara Napier and another accused woman, Euphame MacCalzean, were "women of good reputation." This means they were respected members of the wealthy class in their community. A book called Newes from Scotland also said they were thought of as "civil honest women" before they were arrested.
The witchcraft trials in 1591 were linked to King James VI's journey to meet his future wife, Anne of Denmark. His trip faced "contrary winds" which some people blamed on witchcraft. Barbara Napier's accusations also related to her husband's actions against John Maxwell, 8th Lord Maxwell in 1588. She knew Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus and his wife, Jean Lyon, Countess of Angus, and might have worked for them. The accusations against her were written down as "articles of dittay."
William Napier's Connection
William Napier of Wrichtishousis, possibly a relative, also had dealings with Jean Lyon, Countess of Angus. In 1590, he and James Lumsden delivered a valuable royal jewel to the Privy Council. They had received the jewel from the Countess of Angus as a pledge for a loan. They didn't know it was a royal jewel. This jewel might have been one of the jewels of Mary, Queen of Scots that had been used as pledges years before.
Witchcraft Accusations Against Barbara
A woman named Geillis Duncan, who was also accused of witchcraft, claimed that Barbara Napier had caused the illness of Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus. The Earl became very sick and died in 1588. People said that witches caused his death by making a wax image of him and melting it by a fire.
Another person, Donald Robinson, confessed that Barbara Napier, Euphame MacCalzean, Agnes Sampson, and others met at "Atkynson's or Acheson's Haven." There, they supposedly passed around an image of King James VI and gave it to the devil to harm the king.
Napier was also accused of buying charms to help her own health and to improve her relationship with Jean Lyon, Countess of Angus. She hoped that Agnes Sampson could stop Jean Lyon's morning sickness. Sampson was also said to have given Barbara Napier a special ring with a stone to win Jean Lyon's affection. Agnes Sampson and Barbara Napier met in Dalkeith and near the Braid Burn for friendly talks.
Napier was also accused of asking Sampson for magic to protect her husband. This was when he was fighting against the Maxwell family in 1588, during a military action near Lochmaben Castle.
Sampson supposedly made a wax image to harm an enemy of Barbara Napier and her husband, a man called "Archie." This image was placed in a dovecote (a building for doves) at Craigmillar Castle Park. However, Archie Maxwell seems to have survived.
Barbara Napier was said to have paid for these magical consultations with gifts of cloth. She offered Sampson a linen headcover and other fabrics. She also gave fabrics to Richie Graham, who offered to help her son.
Her Trial and What Happened Next
The English ambassador in Edinburgh, Robert Bowes, heard that Barbara Napier and others were accused of trying to kill the king and causing the death of the Earl of Angus. Her trial was set for April 12. He also heard she wrote a letter to Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell, who was also accused of witchcraft.
The jury at her trial found her guilty only of the lesser crime: talking to people accused of witchcraft. They said she was not guilty of making an image of the Earl of Angus or attending the witch meeting at North Berwick. This was because the only evidence against her came from people who had already been found guilty of witchcraft. King James VI himself noted there was "no testimony but of witches."
King James VI was not happy with this decision. On May 10, 1591, he ordered her execution to be sped up. Her sentence was announced, but she then said she was pregnant.
The king wanted to overturn the first verdict against Napier. He wanted to do this to help prosecute the Earl of Bothwell better. So, a special "assize of error" (a review of the jury's decision) was planned. King James VI spoke to the original jurors on June 7, 1591. They faced penalties for their first decision. They eventually agreed with the king's views and were pardoned for their "error." Some of the original jurors worked for the royal household.
Barbara Napier's final fate is not entirely clear. The town council bought materials for her execution fire. However, these materials were used on June 25, 1591, for the burning of Euphame MacCalzean. A historian from the 1600s, David Hume of Godscroft, believed that Barbara Napier was eventually released. Her property was taken by the crown, but it was later arranged for her daughter to get it back.
Images for kids
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A corner turret at Craigmillar Castle served as a dovecote.
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