Transcript

of

Superstition in Ottery St Mary

In Sixth Report of the Committee on Devonshire Folk-lore. Trans. Devon. Assoc., 1883, Vol XV, pp.102-104.

by

G. Doe, (Ed.)

Prepared by Michael Steer

The article, submitted to the Editor by committee member R. Dymond, presents an extraordinary (described by the author as ‘amusing’) court case relating to a commonly held Ottery superstition. A superstition is any belief or practice based upon one's trust in luck or other irrational, unscientific, or supernatural forces. Often, superstition, as in this case, arises from ignorance, a misunderstanding of science or causality, a belief in fate or magic, or fear of that which is unknown. The article, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.

From the Exeter Gazette, July 8th, 1881:
 
"Superstition in Ottery St Mary, - ‘Scratching a Doctor’- Yesterday an amusing assault case came before the Hon. Major Addington, Colonel Darnell, Captain Bartelott, and W. E. Coleridge, Esq., at the Ottery St. Mary Police Court. The complainant was William Henry Hillman, living at Furzebrook, Ottery, and the defendant a farmer's son, named Thomas Parsons, living at Harpford. The defendant was summoned for assaulting the complainant on the 27th June. The court was crowded during the hearing of the case. Prosecutor stated that on the day named defendant passed by his house at Furzebrook, and after a short conversation about a building close by which he (witness) was having erected, defendant said, “How much will you take me in hand again for Mr. Coleridge: What did he mean by that ?  - Witness: Give him some medicine. - Mr. Coleridge: Are you a doctor ? - Witness: I am a herbal doctor. - Mr. Coleridge: What do you mean by that? Witness: Herbs. Witness, continuing his statement, said that he told defendant he ought to have remained under his care when he came to him first. Ultimately defendant said, 'I will pay you what you charge me,' and witness said, “That will be 10s,,' whereupon defendant caught witness by the hand and cut it with a knife, at the same time hitting him down with a blow on his forehead.

Defendant said he did it because he (witness had ‘injured ' him, and witness replied that he had not injured him nor anybody else. Mr. Coleridge: What did he mean by saying you had injured him? - Witness: Perhaps he will explain that himself. (A Voice: Witchcraft) - Defendant said that someone had said that I had hurted him. - Mr. Coleridge : What did the remark concerning the 10s. mean? - Witness: Defendant came to me and said he was ill, and that he had been recommended to come to me to be cured. I charged him 10s. for that, and when he came again I told him I wanted 10s. more. - Colonel Darnell: To undertake the case again? - Witness: Yes, sir. - Mr. Coleridge: What was the 10s. for? - Witness: For herb medicines. - Mr. Coleridge: Why did you give him herb medicines? - Witness: Because he was ill - Colonel Darnell: What was the matter with him ? - Witness: I think it was indigestion. - Mr. Coleridge : I never knew that you were a doctor before?  - Witness: I have been a doctor for years. - Mr. Coleridge: It is rather risky unless you know what you are doing. Defendant, upon being asked whether he had any question to ask witness, said that he did not cut him with a knife. Witness had swindled  him, and he had simply ‘scratched him.' (Defend- ant here handed to the Bench a piece of wood made as a dart, and said that that was what he scratched him with.) Defendant, continuing, said that witness had 'swindled ' him and his father out of many pounds, and instead of doing them good had done them harm. - Mr. Coleridge: Then why go to him again ?  - Defendant: He has been doing us injuries up to the time I scratched him. - Mr. Coleridge: What injuries do you complain of? - Defendant: I went to witness because I was ill, and I had been told he could cure me. - Mr. Coleridge: What did you tell him was the matter with you ? - Defendant: I don't know. He has done me injuries, and I was advised to ‘scratch’ him, and was told that then I should be all right. - Mr. Coleridge: What did you pay those parties who advised you to do it ? - Defendant: Very little, sir. I was told by certain parties that if I ‘scratched ' him I should feel better. I did so, and felt better directly. - Mr. Coleridge: Were you benefited ? - Defendant : Yes, sir ; I felt better directly. - Mr. Coleridge: What did they tell you was the matter with you? - Defendant: They told me that if I ‘scratched ' him, and simply fetched blood, I should be benefited. - Defendant called his father, Robert Parsons, who stated that he, his wife, and son had been ill, and consequently he went to Hillman (the prosecutor), and asked him what was the matter with them. Hillman, after ‘looking at his book,' said that they were ‘hurted,' and that a neighbour by the name of Preston had ‘hurted ' them. Witness asked Hillman whether he could do them any good, and he replied, “I don't know whether you have neglected it too long, but I will try to do what I can if you pay me.' He was paid, when they had some pills and ‘nasty stuff.' They did not know how to take it. They told Hillman that the stuff had done them no good, and he then said it was a hard job to get over; it must take time. Witness let prosecutor have a pistol, a silver watch, £3, some butter, some potatoes, and all that he could raise; but he was not one ‘halfpenny better for it' He had only been to Hillman once, but his son had been to him several times, and took things to him. He (witness) knew nothing about the ‘scratch.' - Mr. Coleridge: How did you feel after the ‘scratch '? - Witness: It has not made me feel any different. If I want any good I must 'scratch' him myself, I think. - This was the whole of the evidence, on the conclusion of which the Bench retired for twenty minutes. - Upon coming into court the Chairman said that the Bench had no doubt that the assault had been committed; but they were of opinion that the defendant did not intend to seriously injure the prosecutor. Taking all things into consideration, defendant would be fined £1, including the costs. The Chairman said it was evident that the assault had arisen out of a most unfortunate and superstitious belief that existed in that part of the country that the defendant had been what was termed  ‘overlooked.' Unfortunately that belief was exceedingly prevalent, and the Bench were sorry to find that it was so. The belief was utterly groundless, and could not be too strongly reprobated. The defendant paid the fine, exclaiming, 'He is a bad veller, and I am many pounds the worse for it.'          R Dymond.