The Bewitchment of Christian
Shaw
The Shaw Family
The Shaw family lived
on a small estate in
Bargarran,
Renfrewshire. Today it
is believed this house
stood on the land
running along Ferry
Road, between
Erskine and
Bishopton, opposite
Hewlett Packard
Christian Shaw
Christian Shaw was
the daughter of the
Laird of Bargarran.
 We do not know how
she looked as a child
but she may have
looked a little like
this….

Christian was born in
1685 and has been
described as a ‘smart
and lively’ girl. She
was a religious girl
and enjoyed reading
the bible. She paid
close attention to the
2 hour long sermons
in Church each
Sunday.
In 1696, Christian
Shaw alleged that she
had been bewitched!
This led to a total of
21 accusations of
witchcraft from
Christian and 7
deaths.
Christian began to
have fits and strange
visions.
 She claimed others
were torturing her
body.
 She had pinch marks
on her skin


She began to spit out
such things as
‘unclean hay, wild bird
feathers, gravel
stones, candle-grease
and egg shells’ which
she declared had
been placed in her
body by her
tormentors.

She floated round
rooms without
touching floors and
transported objects.
She also engaged in
complex theological
arguments with the
invisible devil,
accurately citing
biblical texts.
Her father took her to
Dr Matthew Brisbane
and she spat out hot
coal the size of a
chestnut. He was
baffled. He diagnosed
her condition as
‘diabolic possession’.
‘An 11 year old girl can’t cough up hot
coal’, or can she?
TASK
Work in groups to create an
explanation of Christian Shaws
Bewitchment
TASK
Debate. Join with another group to ‘swap’
theories about the reason for Christian
Shaw’s ‘bewitchment’. Suggest why you
think your theory is more likely.
TASK
Work in pairs. One person will be Christian
Shaw and one person will be a journalist.
The Journalist is to QUESTION Christian
Shaw on her Bewitchment and Christian
must provide ANSWERS!
Write down and role play your interview.