In February of 1629, in the parish of Lilliesleaf within the county of Selkirk, a woman named Janet Hendersoun found herself at the center of grave and life-altering accusations. Janet, known to her community, faced charges of witchcraft, a formidable accusation during a period where suspicion and fear of the supernatural permeated Scottish society. Her case, recorded under the designation C/EGD/1088, exemplifies the tumultuous era where the Kirk and the crown sought to root out those thought to consort with malevolent forces.
Janet's trial, noted in the archival entry T/LA/653, would have been conducted with the stern solemnity characteristic of the time. The legal process she underwent was severe, reflecting the intertwined judicial and religious authority aimed at preserving moral and social order. While the details of the trial's proceedings and any specific accusations leveled against her remain sparse in this record, Janet's experience would have been fraught with the tension and unease experienced by many in her position. Such trials often hinged on circumstantial evidence and the testimony of neighbors and community members, who might have been driven by genuine belief or ulterior motives.
Whether Janet Hendersoun was ultimately convicted or exonerated is not preserved in the immediately available documents; however, her record as an accused underscores the precariousness of living under the specter of witchcraft in early 17th-century Scotland. Her ordeal mirrors those of many individuals ensnared in the web of societal fear, and her story remains a poignant testament to this fraught chapter in Scottish history.