A True Relation of an Apparition, Expressions and Actings of a Spirit, which infested the house of Andrew Mackie in Ring-Croft of Stocking, in the Parroch of Rerrick, in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, in Scotland, 1695.
By Mr Alexander Telfair, Minister of that Paroch: and attested by many other persons, who were also eye and ear-witnesses.
Edinburgh. Printed by George Mosman, 1696.
To the Reader.
I assure you it is contrary to my genius (all circumstances being considered) to appear in print to the view of the world, yet these motives have prevailed with me, to publish the following relation (beside the satisfying of some reverend Brethren in the Ministry, and several worthy Christians) As 1. The conviction and comsuration of that prevailing spirit of atheism, and infidelity in our time, denying both in opinion and practice the existence of spirits, either of God or Devils; and consequently a Heaven and Hell: And imputing the voices, apparition and actings of Good, or Evil Spirits, to the melancholick disturbance or distemper of the brains and fancies of those, who pretend to hear, see or feel them.
2. To give occasion, to all who read this, to bless the Lord, who hath sent a stronger (even Christ Jesus) than the strong man, to bind him, and spoil him of his goods, and to destroy the works of the devil, and even by these things whereby Satan thinks to propagate his kingdom of darkness, to discover, weaken and bring it down.
3. To induce all persons, particularly masters of families, to private and family prayer; lest the neglect of it provoke the Lord, not only to pour out his wrath upon them otherwise: But to let Satan loose to haunt their persons and families with audible voices, apparitions, and hurt to their persons and goods.
4. That ministers and congregations, where the gospel is in any measure in purity an dpower, may be upon their guard, to wrestle according to the word of God, against these principalities and powers, and spiritual wickednesses, who still seek to marr the success and fruit of the gospel, sometimes by force, and sometimes by fraud, sometimes secretly, and sometimes openly. (Tunc tua res agitur, paries cum proximus ardet). And for these ends learn to know his wiles, and put on the whole armour of God, that they may be able to debate with him.
And 5. That all who are by the goodness of God free from these audible voices, apparitions or hurts from Satan, may learn to ascribe praise and glory to God, who leads them not into temptation, but delivers them from evil:
And that this is true and attested account of Satan’s methods in this place, may carry the foresaid ends, is the earnest prayer of An weak Labourer in the Work of the Gospel in that Place, and Your Servant for Christ’s sake, Alexander Telfair. Edinburgh, December 21, 1695.
A true relation of an apparition, expressions and actings, of a spirit, which infested the house of Andrew Mackie in Ringcroft of Stocking, in the Paroch of Rerrick, in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, in Scotland.
Whereas many are desirous to know the truth of the matter, as to the evil spirit and its actings, that troubleth the family of Andrew Mackie in Ringcroft of Stocking, &c. and are liable to be misinformed, as I do find the reports that come to my own ears of that matter. Therefore that satisfaction may be given, and such mistakes may be cured or prevented: I the minister of the land paroch (who was present several times, and was witness to many of its actings, and have heard an account of the whole of its methods and actings from the persons present, towards whom, and before whom it did act) have given the ensuing, and short account of the whole matter: which I can attest to be the very truth as to that affair and before I come to the relation itself, I premise these things with respect to what might have been the occasion and rise of that spirit’s appearing and acting.
1. The said Andrew Mackie being a meason [mason] to his employment, ’tis given out, that when he took the meason-word, he devouted his first child to the Devil: But I am certainly informed, he never took the same, and knows not what that word is. He is outwardly moral, there is nothing known to his life and conversation, but honest, civil and harmless, beyond many of his neighbours, doth delight in the company of the best; and when he was under the trouble of that evil spirit, did pray to the great satisfaction of many. As to his wife and children, none have imputed anything to them as to he rise of it, nor is there any ground, for ought I know, for any to do so.
2. Whereas it is given out that a woman sub mala fama, did leave some clothes in that house, in the custody of said Andrew Mackie, and died before they were given up to her; and he or his wife should have kept some of them back from her friends: I did seriously pose both him and his wife upon the matter, they declared they knew not what things were left, being bound up in a sack, but did deliver entirely to her friends all they received from the woman, which I am apt to believe.
3. Whereas one Macknaught, who sometimes before possessed that house, did not thrive in his own person, or goods: It seems he had sent his son to a witch-wife, who lived then at Routing-bridge, in the paroch of Iron-gray, to enquire what might be the cause of the decay of his person and goods: the youth meeting with some foreign soldiers, went abroad to Flanders, and did not return with an answer. Some years after there was one John Redick in this paroch, who having had occasion to go abroad, met with the said young Macknaught in Flanders, and they knowing each other, Macknaught enquired after his father and other friends; and finding the said John Redick was to go home, desired him to go to his father, or whoever dwelt in the Ring-croft, and desire them to raise the door threshold, and search, till they found a tooth, and burn it, for none who dwelt in that house would thrive till that was done. The said John Redick coming home, and finding the old man Macknaught dead, and his wife out of that place, did never mention the matter, nor further mind it, till this trouble was in Andrew Mackie’s family; then he spoke of it, and told the matter to myself.
Betwixt Macknight’s death and Andrew Mackie’s possession of this house, there was one Thomas Telfair, who possessed it some years; what way he heard the report of the witch-wife had said to Macknight’s son, I cannot tell; but he searched the door-threshhold, and found something like a tooth, did compare it with the tooth of man, horse, nolt and sheep (as he said to me) but could not say which it did resemble, only it did resemble a tooth: he did cast it in the fire, where it burnt like a candle, or so much tallow; yet he never knew any trouble about that house by night or by day, before or after, during his possession.
These things premised, being suspected to have been the occasion of the trouble; and there being no more known as to them, than what is now declared, I do think the matter still unknown, what may have given arise thereto. But leaving this I subjoin the matter as follows.
In the month of February, the said Andrew Mackie had some young beasts, which in the night time were still loosed, and their bindings broken; he taking it to be the unrulyness of the beasts, did make stronger and stronger bindings of withies and other things, but still all were broken; at last he suspected it to be some other thing, whereupon he removed them out of that place, and the first night thereafter, one of them was bound with a hair-tedder to the balk of the house, so strait that the feet of the beast only touched the ground, but could not move no way else, yet it sustained no hurt.
Another night, when the family were all sleeping, there was the full of an back-creel of peats, set together in midst of the house floor, and fire put in them, the smoke wakened the family, otherwise the house had been burnt; yet nothing all the while was either seen or heard.
Upon the 7th of March there were stones thrown in the house, in all the places of it, but it could not be discovered from whence they came, what, or who threw them; After this manner it continued till the Sabbath, now and then throwing both in the night and day, but was busiest throwing in the night time.
Upon Saturday, the family being all without, the children coming in, saw something, which they thought to be a body sitting by the fireside with a blanket (or cloth) about it, whereat they were afraid; The youngest, being a boy about 9 or 10 years of age, did chide the rest, saying, why are you fear’d? let us faine (or bless) ourselves, and then there is no ground to fear’t; he perceived the blanket to be his, and faining (or blessing) himself, ran and pulled the blanket from it, saying, be what it will, it hath nothing to do with my blanket; and then they found it to be a four footed stool set upon the end and the blanket cast over it.
Upon the Sabbath, being the 11th of March, the crook and pot-clips were taken away, and were awanting four days, and were found at last on a [loaft?] where they had been sought several times before. This is attested by Charles Macklelane of Colline, and John Cairns in Hardhills.
It was observed that the stones which hit any person, had not half their natural weight, and the throwing was more frequent on the Sabbath, than at other times; and especially in time of prayer, above all other times, it was susiest, then throwing most at the person praying. The said Andrew Mackie told the matter to me upon Sabbath after sermon; upon the Tuesday thereafter I went to the house, did stay a considerable time with them, and prayed twice, and there was no trouble; Then I came out with a resolution to leave the house, and as I was standing speaking to some men at the barn end, I saw two little stones drop down on the croft at a little distance from me; and then immediately some came crying out of the house, that it was become as ill as ever within; whereupon I went into the house again, and as I was at prayer, it threw several stones at me, but they did no hurt, being very small;
and after there was no more trouble till the 18th day of March; and then it began as before, and threw more frequently, greater stones, whole strokes were sorer where they hit; and thus it continued to the 21st. Then I went to the house and stayed a great part of the night, but was greatly troubled; stones, and several other things were thrown at me; I was struck several times on the sides, and shoulders, very sharply with a great staff, so that those who were present heard the noise of the strokes; that night it threw off the bed-side, and rapped upon the chists and boards, as one calling for access; This is attested by Charles Macklelane of Conne, William Mackmann, and John Tait in Torr.
That night, as I was once at prayer, leaning on a bed-side, I felt something pressing up my arm, I casting my eyes thither, perceived a little white hand and arm from the elbow down, but presently it vanished. It is to be observed, that notwithstanding of all that was felt and heard, from the first to the last of this matter, there was never any things een, except that hand I saw, and a friend of the said Andrew Mackie’s said he saw as it were a young man, red faced, with yellow hair, looking in the window; and other two or three persons, with the said Andrew his children, saw at several times, as it were a young boy about the age of 14 years with gray clothes, and a bonnet on his head, but presently disappeared; as also what the three children saw sitting by the fireside.
Upon the 22nd the trouble still increased, both against the family, and against the neighbours who came to visit them, by throwing stones and beating them with staves; so that some were forced to leave the house before their inclination. This is attested by Charles Macklelane of Colline, and Andrew Tait in Torr. Some it would have met as they came to the house, and stoned with stones about the yards, and in like manner stoned as they went from the house; of whom Thomas Telfair in Stocking was one.
It made a little wound on the said Andrew Mackie’s brow, did thrust several times at his shoulder, he not regarding, at last it gripped him so by the hair, that he thought something like nails of fingers scratched hiskin. It dragged severals up and down the house by the clothes: this is attested by Andrew Tait. It gripped one John Keige Miller in Achincairn so, by the side, that he entreated his neighbours to help, and cried, it would rive the side from him. That night it lifted the clothes off the children as they were sleeping in bed, and beat them on the hips, as if it had been with one’s hand, so that all who were in the house heard it.
The door-bar, and other things, would go through the house as if a person had been carrying them in their hand, yet nothing seen doing it: this is attested by John Telfair in Achinleek, and others. It rattled on the chests and bedsides with a staff, and made a great noise; and thus it continued by throwing stones, strking with staves, and rattling in the house, till the 2nd of April, at night it cried Wisht, Wisht, at every sentence in the close of prayer; and it whistled so distinctly, that the dog barked, and ran to the door, as if one had been calling to hound him.
April 3rd. It whistled several times, and cried wisht, wisht, this is attested by Andrew Tait. Upon the 4th of April, Charles Macklelane of Collin, Land-lord, with the said Andrew Mackie, went to a certain number of ministers met at Buttle, and gave them an account of the matter; whereupon these ministers made public prayers for the family, and two of their number, viz. Mr Andrew Aewart, Minister of Kells, and Mr John Murdo, Minister of Corfmichael came to the house and spent that night in fasting and praying. But it was very cruel against them, especially by throwing great stones, some of them about half a stone weight. It wounded Mr Andrew Aewart twice in the head, to the effusion of his blood; it pulled off his wig in time of prayer, and when he was holding out his napkin betwixt his hands, it cast a stone in the napkin, and therewith threw it from him. It gave Mr John Murdo several more strokes; yet the wounds and bruises received did soon cure. There were none in the house that night escaped from some of its fury and cruelty; that night it threw a fiery peat amongst the people, but did no hurt, it only disturbed them in time of prayer. And also in the dawning, as they rose from prayer, the stones poured down on all who were in the house to their hurt. This is attested by Mr Andrew Aewart, Mr John Murdo, Charles Macklelane, and John Tait.
Upon the 5th of April: It set some thatch-straw on fire which was in the barnyard; At night the house being very throng with neighbours, the stones were still thrown down among them; as the said Andrew Mackie his wife went to bring in some peats for the fire, when she came to the door, she found a broad stone to shake under her foot, which she never knew to be loose before. She resolved with herself to see what was beneath it the morning thereafter.
Upon the 6th of April, when the house was quiet, she went to the stone, and there found seven small bones, with blood, and some flesh, all closed in a piece of old fuddled paper; the blood was fresh and bright. The sight whereof troubled her, and being afraid, laid all down again; and ran to Colline his house, being a quarter of a mile distant: but in that time, it was worse than ever it was before, by throwing stones, and fireballs, in and about the house; but the fire as it lighted did vanish. In that time it threw a hot stone into the bed betwixt the children, which burnt through the bedclothes; and after it was taken out by the man’s eldest son, and had lain on the floor more than an hour and a half, the said Charles Maccelan of Collns could not hold it in his hand for heat: this is attested by Charles Macklelan.
It thrust a staff through the wall of the house above the children in the bed, shook it over them, and groaned. When Colline came to the house, he went to prayer before he offered to lift the bones; all the while he was at prayer it was most cruel; but as soon as he took up the bones the trouble ceased (this is attested by Charles Macklelane). He sent them presently to me; upon sight whereof I went immediately to the house. While I was at prayer, it threw great stones which hit me; but they did not hurt. Then there was no more trouble that night.
The 7th of April, being the Sabbath, it began again, and threw stones, and wounded William Macminn, a blacksmith, on the head; it cast a ploughsock[?] at him, and also a trough-stone upwards of three stone weight, which did fall upon his back, yet he was not hurt thereby. Attested by William Macminn, it set the house twice on fire, yet there was no hurt done in respect some neighbours were in the house, who helped to quench it. At night in the twilight as John Mackie the said Andrew Mackie his eldest son was coming home, near to the house, there was an extraordinary light fell about him, and went before him to the house, with a swift motion. That night it continued after its wonted manner.
April 8th. In the morning as Andrew Mackie went down the Close[?] he found a letter both written and sealed with blood; it was directed on the back thus: “3 years tho shall have to repent a net it well”. And within was written: “Wo be to the Cotlland Repent and tak warning for the door of haven ar all Redy bart against the 3 am lent a warning to the to flee to god yet trouble shallt this man be for twenty days a rpent repnent opent scotland or els tow shall.”
In the middle of the day, the persons alive who lived in that house since it was built, being about 28 years, were conveined by appointment of the Civil Magistrate, before Colline myself and others, and did all touch the bones; in respect there was some suspicion of secret murder committed in the place. But nothing was found to discover the same.
Upon the 9th of April, the letter and bones were sent to the ministers who were all occasionally met at Kirkenabrugh, they appointed five of their number, viz., Mr John Murdo, Mr James Monteith, Mr John Mackmillan, Mr Samuel Spalding, and Mr William Falconer with me to go to the house, and spend so much time in fasting and praying as we were able.
Upon the 10th of April we went to the house, and no sooner did I begin to open my mouth, but it threw stones at me, and all within the house, but still worst at him who was at duty. It came often with such force upon the house that it made all the house shake; it broke a hole through the timber and thatch of the house, and poured in great stones. On whereof more than a quarter weight fell upon Mr James Monteith, his back, yet he was not hurt, it threw another with great force at him when he was praying, bigger than a man’s [fist?] which hit him on the breast, yet he was neither hurt nor moved thereby; it was thought fit that one of our number, with another person, should go by turns, and stand under the hole in the outside, so there was no more trouble from that place. But the barn being joined to the end of the house, it broke down the barn door and midwall and threw stones up the house; but did no great hurt. It gripped, and handled the legs of some, as with a man’s hand; it hoisted up the feet of others while standing on the ground, thus it did to William Lennox of Mill-house, my self and others; in this manner it continued till ten o’clock at night. But after that there was no more trouble while we were about the house; this is attested by Mrs James Monteith, John Murdo, Samuel Spalding, Mr Falconer, William Lennox, and John Tait.
The 11th, 12th and 13th it was worse than ever it was before; for not any who came into the house did escape heavy strokes. There was one Andrew Tait in Torr, as he was coming to stay with the family all night, by the way his dog caught a thulmard [polecat]. When he came in he cast it by in the house; thereafter there were three other young men who came in also. And when they were at prayer the evil spirit beat them with the dead thulmard, and threw it before them. The three who knew it not to be in the house were greatly affrighted, especially one Samuel Thomson, a chapman, whom it also gripped by the side and back, and thrust as if it had been a hand beneath his clothes, and into his pockets; he was so affrighted that he took sickness immediately; this is attested by Andrew Tait.
The 14th being the Sabbath, it set some straw on fire that was in the barnyard, and threw stones while ten o’clock at night; it threw a dyke-spade at the said Andrew Mackie, with the mouth toward him; but he received no hurt. While a meal-sieve[?] was tossed up and down the house, the said Andrew Mackie took hold of it, and as it were with difficulty kept his grip; at last all within the rim was torn out. Thereafter it threw a handful of the sieve rolled together at Thomas Robertson in Airds, who was witness to this, yet in all their actings there was never anything seen but what I mentioned before.
Upon the 15th of April, William Anderson, a drover, and James Patterson, his son in law, came to the house with Colline in the evening, Colline going home a while within night, the said Andrew Mackie sent his sons to convey him. As they returned, they were cruelly stoned, and the stones rolled amongst their legs like to break them. Shortly after they came in, it wounded William Anderson on the head to the great effusion of his blood; in time of prayer it whistled, groaned and cried Whisht, whisht; this is attested by John Cairnes.
The 16th, it continued whistling, groaning, whistling, and throwing stones in times of prayer. It cried ‘bo, bo’ and ‘kick, cuck,’ and shook men back and forward, and hoisted them up as if it would lift them off their knees; this is attested by Andrew Tait. The whole family went from the house, and left five honest neighbours to wait on the same all night, but there was no hurt done to them, nor the family where they were, nor to those neighbours who stayed in the said Andrew Mackie, his house. Only the cattle were cast over other to the hazard of killing them, as they were bound to the stakes, and some of them were loosed; this is attested by John Cairnes.
Upon the 18th, they returned to their house again, and there was no hurt done to them nor their cattle that night, except in a little house where there were some sheep: it coupled them together in pairs by the neck with straw ropes, made of a bottle of straw, which it took off a loft in the stable, and carried to the sheep-house, which is three or four pair of butts distant; and it made more ropes than it needed for binding the sheep, which it left beside the straw in the sheep-house; this is attested by Andrew Tait.
Upon the 19th it fired the straw in the barn, but Andrew Mackie put it out (being there threshing) without doing any hurt; it shot staves through the wall at him, but did no hurt.
The 20th it continued throwing stones, whistling and whistling with all its former words. When it hit any person, and said, take you that till you get more; that person was sure immediately of another, but when it said take you that, the person got no more for a while; this is attested by John Tait.
The 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, it continued casting stones, beating with staves, and throwing peat-mud in the faces of all in the house, especially in times of prayer with all its former tricks.
The 24th, being a day of humiliation appointed to be kept in the parish for that cause, all that day from morning to night it continued in a most fearful manner without intermission, throwing stones with such cruelty and force that all in the house feared lest they should be killed.
The 25th, it threw stones all night, but did no great harm.
The 26th, it threw stones in the evening, and knocked on a chest several times, as one to have access; and began to speak, and call those who were sitting in the house ‘witches’ and ‘rukes’ and said it would take them to Hell. The people then in the house said among themselves, if it had any to speak to it, now it would speak. In the meantime Andrew Mackie was sleeping; they wakened him, and then he hearing it say, Thou shalt be troubled till Tuesday, asked, Who gave thee a commission? To whom it answered, God gave me a commission, and I am sent to warn the land to repent; for a judgement is to come if the land do not quickly repent, and commanded him to reveal it upon his perrile; and if th eland did not repend, it said it would go to its father and get a commission to return with a hundred worse than itself, and would trouble every particular family in the land. Andrew Mackie said to those who were with him, if I should tell this, I would not be believed.
Then it said, Fetch betters, fetch the minister of the paroch, and two honest men upon Tuesday night, and I shall declare before them what I have to say. Then it said, praise me, and I will whistle to you, worship me, and I will trouble you no more. Then Andrew Mackie said, The Lord, who delivered the three children out of the fiery furnace, deliver me, and mine this night, from the temptations of Satan. Then it replied, you might as well have said, Shadrak, Meshak and Abed-nego. In the mean time while Andrew Mackie was speaking, there was one James Teifair in Buttle, who was adding a word, to whom it said, You are basely bred, meddling in other men’s discourse, wherein you are not concerned. It likewise said, Remove your goods, for I will burn the house. He answered, the Lord stop Satan’s fury, and hinder him of his designs. Then it said, I will do it, or you shall guide well. All this is attested by John Tait in Torr, and several others who cannot subscribe.
Upon the 27th it set the house seven times on fire. The 28th, being the Sabbath, from sun rising to sun setting, it still set the house on fire; as it was quenched in one part, instantly it was fired in another, and in the evening, when it could not get its designs fulfilled in burning the house, it pulled down the end of the house, all the stone-work thereof, so that they could not abide in it any longer, but went and kindled their fire in the stable.
Upon the Sabbath night, it pulled one of the children out of the bed, gripping him as he thought by the craig and shoulders, and took up the block of a tree, as great as a plough-head, and held it above the children, saying, if I had a commission I would brain them. Thus it expressed itself, in the hearing of all who were in the house; attested by William Mackminn and John Corsby.
The 29th, being Monday, it continued setting fire in the house. The said Andrew Mackie finding the house so frequently set on fire, and being weary quenching it, he went and put out all the fire that was about the house, and poured water on the hearth; yet after, it fired the house several times, when there was no fire within a quarter of a mile of the house. This is attested by Charles Maclelane and John Cairns. In the middle of the day, as Andrew Mackie was threshing in the barn, it whispered in the wall and then cried ‘Andrew, Andrew’, but he gave no answer to it. Then, with an austere angry voice as it were, it said ‘Speak.’ Yet he gave no answer. Then it said, ‘be nottroubled, you shall have no more trouble, except some casting of stones upon the twelday to fulfill the promise,’ and said ‘take away your straw.’ I went to the house about eleven o’clock. It fired the house once after I went there. I stayed all night till betwixt three and four in the tweldays morning, during which time there was no trouble about the house, except two little stones dropped down at the fireside as we were sitting down at our first entry; a little after I went away it began to throw stones as formerly. This is attested by Charles Mackleland and John Tait.
Upon Tuesday night, being the 30th of April, Charles Macklelane of Colline, with several neighbours, was in the barn. As he was at prayer he observed a black thing in the corner of the barn, and it did increase as if it would fill the whole house. He could not discern it to have any form, but as if it had been a black cloud. It was affrighting to them all. And then it threw bear-chaff, and other mud upon their faces, and after did grip several who were in the house by the middle of the body, by the arms and other parts of their bodies so strait, that some said for five days thereafter tehy thought they felt these grips. After an hour or two of the night was thus passed, there was no more trouble. This is attested by Charles Macklelane, Thomas Mackmann, Andrew Paline, John Cairns, and John Tait.
Upon Wednesday night, being the 1st of May, it fired a little sheep-house. The sheep were got out safe, but the sheep-house was wholly burnt. Since there hath not been any trouble about the house by night nor by day.
Now all things aforesaid being of undoubted verity, therefore I conclude with that of the Apostle, 1 Pet. 5, 8, 9. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the earth.
This relation is attested, as to what they particularly saw, heard and felt, by:
Mr Andrew Aewart, Minister at Kells. Mr James Monteith, Minister at Borg. Mr John Murdo, Minister at Cormichael. Mr Samuel Spalding, Minister at Partan. Mr William Falconer, Minister at Keltoun, Charles Macklelane of Colline. William Lennox of Millhouse. Andrew Tait in Torr. John Tait in Torr. John Cairns in Hardhills. William Mackmainn. John Corsby. Thomas Mackminn. Andrew Paline, &c.
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The Ghost Trees: an old Galloway tradition.
They are situated, the Ghost Trees, on an eminence overlooking the Galloway village of Auchencairn. Thirty years or more, when I first saw them, I assumed that the name had arisen from their appearance. They stood equidistant, separate from other trees, stunted, scraggy. One might almost be tempted to apply Edgar Allan Poe’s sequence of adjectives to them – ghastly, grim, ungainly, gaunt and ominous – the terms applied to his midnight visitant, the raven. Their appearance is probably due to their exposed position, where the prevailing winds have blown upon them, discouraged growth, and bent them out of the perpendicular. They were, in any case, universally known as “the ghost trees,” and thereby hangs my tale.
It was only recently that I was able to associate them with an old Galloway story of a poltergeist haunting. The story is one well-known to students of this kind of phenomena, and is mentioned in many of the books on the subject. There is a reference in the “Encyclopaedia Britannica.” This is largely due to the explicit and carefully detailed and witnessed account left by the minister of the parish of Rerwick, Mr Alexander Telfair, who died there in 1731. The events in his narrative took place over a period of about three months from February to 1st May 1696. Various farms and residences and their occupants or proprietors are mentioned in the narrative – Hardhills, Mains of Collin, Airds, and Torr. The place in which the events described took place was the Ringcroft of Stocking. The other names appear in the map to-day, but the Ringcroft is not there.
On a sunny day in September, I set out to make an attempt to locate the scene of the incident. “Rambles in Galloway” states that the site of the cottage of the Ringcroft ghost is marked by a group of trees a short distance up the side road that leaves the highway half a mile from Aughencairn. It was with a feeling of greeting an old friend that, passing up this road, with bramble bushes on either side laden with their black fruit, I recognised the ghost trees.
Here is a remarkable example of how a tradition persists through successive generations. These ghost trees are regarded with very considerable respect to this day. The resident of a cottage at the junction of the by-road with the highway to Auchencairn mentioned that the trees were supposed to be “haunted.” She did not know way. She was a comparative newcomer to the district. A shepherd going his rounds near the trees knew of the cottage and of its reputation.
One of the witnesses to Mr Telfair’s narrative was Mr Charles Macklellan, of Colline, the proprietor of the croft. A substantial mansion-house of three storeys, approached by an avenue, is the nearest habitation to the trees, and later, when I called there, I found that the house was the Colline of the records, without alteration beyond modernising. It has a pleasant outlook on to the Solway, with the Island of Heston opposite. The lady of the house mentioned that she had been brought up as a girl in the local manse. She was thus in the pastoral succession to the worthy Mr Telfair. When she was a girl, she said, none of them liked to go near the trees after dark as the place was supposed to be haunted. She also did not know the reason, and had not heard of the poltergeist narrative. She understood that there was some story of a highway-man who was supposed to have been hanged there – probably a tale invented to meet the traditional associations of the trees.
Although Ringcroft is no longer a place on the map, the house of that name having been effectively obliterated by the poltergeist in question, the spot is still known as “The Ring,” which shows how a name may live on and survive the thing it designated, I found on reaching the trees the unmistakable foundations of the house of Ringcroft of Stocking. One of the foundation walls runs parallel with the trees, and has a height of over a foot. The trees are on the south side of this wall, and apparently have grown up there after the cottage was demolished. Further to the north there is another considerable length of wall, which may have been a dyke enclosing the garden of the cottage, or part of the sheep-house mentioned in the narrative. To the west is a considerable heap of stones of the native granite, which probably mark the position of one of the gable-ends, perhaps that gable which was demolished in the course of the extraordinary proceedings described by Mr Telfair. The trees themselves, as I have said, are peculiar and would at once attract anyone’s attention.
[the story is then described]
The Scotsman, 19th October 1940.