In the mid-17th century, during a tumultuous period of witch-hunting across Scotland, Jonet Neill Donald Vic William Vic More, a resident of Scatt in the parish of Contin in Ross, found herself caught in the web of suspicion and fear that characterized the witch trials of the time. Her case was documented under the name "More, Jonet Neill Donald Vic William Vic" and took place in the year 1662. Unfortunately, the trial records, identified as T/JO/912, do not provide us with specific details of the proceedings, leaving much about the judicial process and the accusations themselves to be discovered by future researchers.
What remains recorded, however, is a confession obtained from Jonet in May of that year. Confessions were often central to witch trials and could be coerced under severe conditions or intense pressure. Despite the grim circumstances leading to such confessions, and the lack of detail about what Jonet may have admitted to, they were typically used as crucial evidence that often sealed the fate of the accused. Jonet's confession might have reflected not only the desperation of an individual under scrutiny but also the pervasive fears and societal pressures within her community during this era of witch purges.
Though the records of Jonet’s trial are scant, they nonetheless provide a poignant snapshot of the broader narrative of the Scottish witch trials, a period marked by widespread panic and the persecution of many. The case of Jonet Neill Donald Vic William Vic More stands as a testament to the lives disrupted during these turbulent times—reflecting how women, in particular, could be drawn into peril simply by disease, misfortune, or neighborly animosity interpreted as malevolent witchcraft.