Mary Lawmont

Marie Lamont (1646–1662), also referred to as Mary Lawmont, was executed for witchcraft during the reign of Charles II, during a time when witch trials were common. Her youth at the time of her execution made her case unusual.

Life Marie Lamont lived in Inverkip parish, in the shire of Renfrew, where persecution of witches was particularly rife between the years 1640–1690.

Background Sir Archibald Stewart of Blackhall, Laird of Ardgowan had applied to the Privy Council for a Royal Enquiry into the practice of witchcraft in the Inverkip area. During this later period of witch persecution the right to assemble a number of commissions of justiciary was granted by the Privy Council to gentlemen in every county. The enquiries preceding the commissions of justiciary were supplementary to the regular enquiries instituted by the State and Church. The Royal Enquiry relevant to Marie Lamont appointed a commission of nine men, one of whom was Sir Archibald Stewart the Sheriff Depute of Perth- a man who was probably a relative of Sir Archibald Stewart the Younger of Blackhall. A graduate minister of the time could enhance his prestige and show himself to be worthy of his hire by using his academic learning (learning being considered particularly important in cases of witchcraft) to protect the local community against Satan and his witch followers. The usual victims of the hunts were female, She confessed to having sexual relations with the devil several times when he appeared to her as a brown dog, and this had left marks on her right side where he had nipped her. She said that along with Jean King, Kattie Scott, Janet Holm and sundry others she had met at the bucht-gait of Ardgowan in the presence of the devil, who appeared to them on this occasion in the shape of a black man with cloven feet. They were directed to gather sand from the shore and scatter it about yetts of Ardgowan, and about the minister's house. and of stealing milk by means of magic. The milk theft involved drawing a tether made from the hair of many cows' tails over the mouth of a mug and speaking the words "In God's name, God send us milk, God send it, and meikle of it". Marie also confessed to dancing round the Kempock Stone with others and attempting to throw the stone into the sea, the intention being to sink ships sailing in the Firth of Clyde.

On the same day and by the same commission five other women were tried for witchcraft. These women are named as Margaret Duff, Jonet (sic) Hynman, Margret (sic) Letch, Margret (sic) Rankin, and Kathrin Scott.

Lawmont was burned at the stake in 1662, possibly outside the Auldkirk of Inverkip.