Bessie Dawsoun resided in Bolton, a village nestled in the East Lothian region, during a tumultuous period marked by fear and suspicion of witchcraft. In the early summer of 1661, Bessie found herself embroiled in a witchcraft accusation, charged specifically with attending witches' meetings—a common accusation during these times that connoted assembly with other alleged witches, often seen as conspiratorial gatherings against the community or for ritualistic purposes. The record of her case noted under the entry C/EGD/1368 marks the date of May 31, 1661, indicating a swift movement of judicial proceedings typical of the era's witch trials.
Despite the gravity of her predicament, the trial notes for Bessie's trial, registered under T/JO/1023, remain sparse, leaving the details of her court proceedings largely to the imagination. Her confession, however, was officially recorded on May 29, 1661, just two days before the noted trial date, suggesting a rapid sequence from accusation to confession—a pattern not uncommon in the pressure-filled climate of the 17th-century Scottish witch hunts. The reason or method for her confession is not detailed, reflecting the often-overlooked nuances behind such admissions of guilt during this era.
Furthermore, Bessie Dawsoun's case is heavily interconnected with those of other women in her community. Her name surfaces in numerous other trials, implicated as an accomplice by at least eight other women, including Bessie Todrig and Issobell Smyth. This pattern of interlinked accusations could indicate a web of communal suspicion or align with the period's legal approach, which frequently implicated alleged witches in a broader conspiracy by association or forced confessions. Such circumstances underscore the challenges of interpreting witch trial records, where individual fates were inexorably tied to the prevailing social fears and legal practices of the time.