In the complex world of early modern Scotland, Alisone Nisbet, sometimes referred to as Elie Nesbitt, lived and worked as a midwife in the small community of Hilton, Berwick. Married and belonging to the lower socioeconomic stratum, Alisone found herself embroiled in accusations of witchcraft that would ultimately lead to her demise. Her reputation as a witch lingered over her for thirteen years, a shadow fed by the intersections of her personal and professional life. During her time as a servant to the minister of Hilton, she also served, perhaps through wet-nursing, his eldest son. This connection, however, did not spare her when a ritual she conducted as part of her midwifery services raised suspicion, allegedly resulting in a death when she performed an afterbirth ritual, a practice common yet misunderstood and feared in these superstitious times.
Alisone's life was already marked by personal scandal, admitting to adultery with Andrew Park. These circumstances did little to help her standing when the winds of accusation turned sharply against her, intertwining her case with other local trials, such as that of the Strang family and individuals like Issobell Cunninghame, who labeled her a "Known Witch." Her trial took place in Edinburgh on the 25th of July, 1632, culminating in a guilty verdict. Just over a week later, Alisone was executed on Castle Hill, subjected to the dual punishment of being strangled and burned, a grim end common for those convicted of such charges in that era. Her mother had similarly faced the threat of arrest, choosing to flee to England when a commission was granted for her capture, revealing a family entangled in the perilous legal and social web of witchcraft accusations.
Alisone's case is further complicated by potential overlaps with other accused women, as a modern hand in the records mistakenly conflated her with another accused witch, Alison Coline. Despite similar names, differences in both geographic origin and the nature of their accusations suggest these women dealt with their own distinct sets of circumstances and fears. Alisone Nisbet's story, echoing through time across these fragile and often perilous records, reflects the tense interplay of local rumor, traditional practices, and shifting societal norms in Scotland's historical landscape of witch trials. Her life and death stand as a testament to the era's fraught relationship with fear, gender dynamics, and the deep societal need to castigate and control through the scapegoat of witchcraft.