Gelie Duncan

Geillis Duncan also spelled Gillis Duncan (b. unknown d. 4 December 1591) was a young maidservant in 16th century Scotland who was accused of being a witch. She was also the first recorded named player of the mouth harp in what is now Great Britain.

The anonymous pamphlet, Newes from Scotland, published in late 1591 details how she was made to confess to witchcraft and records how the North Berwick witch trials originated, in which as many as seventy people were implicated.

Seton grew suspicious that Geillis Duncan would leave "her master's house every other night" and wondered where she went on these late-night excursions. As a result of his growing suspicions, Duncan was then accused by Seton of witchcraft after he noticed just how adept she was at curing the ill. This involved the use of pilliwinks (thumbscrews) on her fingers to gradually crush them and binding a rope and around her head and gradually crushing it by wrenching. James VI is said to have interviewed her in person and listened to her playing the mouth harp and singing.

Death Duncan tried to retract her confession and implications of others, numbering as many as sixty or seventy all over Scotland,

In 2023 there was an exhibition of thirteen figures, Witches in Words, not Deeds, created by Carolyn Sutton, MLIS, AA. Duncan was one of the figures exhibited at Edinburgh's Central Library from September to November 2023. The artist had made her dress with detachable sleeves as she was a maidservant and as with the others in the exhibition, it was white linen imprinted with the words that condemned her.