In the insular Orkney community of the late 16th century, Alesoun Balfour's life took a tragic turn amidst the widespread fear and suspicion characterizing the witch trials of the era. Residing in Stenness, Orkney, Alesoun's story reflects the tragic intersection of personal relationships and community paranoia. Records indicate that she was originally from Ireland, adding an element of "otherness" that might have factored into her vulnerability to accusations. Alesoun lived with her family, including her elderly husband, who, at 91 years, is noted as an exceptional age for the period. She had a son and a daughter, each of whom, along with her husband, endured the ordeal of torture during the investigations of December 1594.
Alesoun was subjected to brutal methods of torture, including the use of stocks and the infamous "Cashielaws," which refers to the torture device used for extracting confessions. Whether it was the physical agony or the overwhelming pressure, a confession was eventually extracted from her, a common occurrence in such trials where confessions were often retractable and filled with contradictions. The records show that she initially retracted her confession before another was recorded on December 16, 1594, the day after her trial took place at Hedding-hill.
Despite the confession's instability, Alesoun Balfour was found guilty and sentenced to execution. Her trial concluded swiftly, and she faced execution by burning, a harrowing fate that befell many during Scotland's witch trials. Alesoun met her end on December 15, 1594, at Hedding-hill, the same day as her trial, sealing her story with tragedy and leaving scant traces of her personal experiences except for the grim notations within the surviving trial records.