The Accidental Witch of Dalkeith

There was once a woman who lived in Dalkeith who seemed to have a special ability when it came to raising chickens. It was her only form of income and sustenance, but she was so good with her hens that she was rarely in any bother. As her flock grew larger, her neighbours grew jealous and rumours began to spread that perhaps this old woman was only flourishing thanks to a little supernatural help.

Then after a wet summer and harsh winter, around the year 1800, all of the Lothians suffered from a poor harvest. Grain was so scarce that the area was approaching famine and the old lady was struggling to feed her prized chickens. She approached the only local farmer with any oats to sell and asked him to name his price, she would pay anything to secure some feed.

Unfortunately for her, the farmer had already sold all of his harvest. Each bag of oats she could see in his cart had been carefully measured out and was spoken for. It didn’t matter how much she offered, he refused to disappoint his customers by going back on their agreed deals. With that, he picked up the reins and trundled along to deliver the goods.

The old lady finally snapped, screaming at the farmer at the top of her voice with curses and ill-wishes, loud enough that everybody in Dalkeith heard the commotion. Then out of nowhere, with a loud crack, a wheel came off his cart just as they were passing through the ford. Half a dozen sacks spilt into the water and oats floated downstream.

That was all the proof locals needed to confirm that the old hen woman was a witch! The farmer didn’t know what to believe, but he reported what had happened to the local sheriff anyway, more for advice than seeking punishment. Fortunately, the sheriff had a calm head, explaining that the days of burning people at the stake for witchcraft were in the past and convinced the farmer it was nothing more than an accident and coincidence.

Strangely, it was the old woman who wasn’t so convinced. She wasn’t happy after being warned by the sheriff to watch what she said and how she acted, just in case the locals of Dalkeith took matters into their own hands. It turned out this hadn’t been the first time something like this had happened.

While she didn’t practise witchcraft and had never made a deal with the Devil, strange things seemed to follow her around. When she was happy and content, things seemed to thrive. However, any time she got angry and spoke harsh words without thinking, then terrible things almost always followed. Just like with the farmer and his cart.