In the year 1662, amidst the fervor of the Scottish witch trials, a woman by the name of Jonet Toyes, residing in the parish of Dunning in Perth, found herself at the heart of a legal storm that was sweeping across the country. Historical records, albeit sparse, indicate that Jonet was put on trial under the accusation of witchcraft, a charge that was not uncommon during this period when fear and suspicion grew deep roots in the local communities.
Jonet's trial, documented under the case reference T/JO/942, culminated in a verdict of guilty. The court's decision, recorded on the 28th of July, 1662, led to her being sentenced to execution, a fate she ultimately met according to the trial notes. Unfortunately, the surviving records do not elaborate on the specifics of the evidence presented against her or the nature of the accusations that led to such a harsh sentence. What is clear is that Jonet Toyes became one of the many individuals whose lives were irrevocably changed by the period's pervasive fear of witchcraft, illustrating the tragic and often opaque nature of justice during the witch hunts in early modern Scotland.