In August of 1649, the spectre of witchcraft accusations reached the small parish of Humbie in Haddingtonshire, where Janet Carnecroce resided. Janet's name appears in the historical records as one among several individuals accused during a wave of witchcraft trials sweeping across Scotland during this time. Although few details of her life and the nature of the accusations against her survive, we do know that she was connected to the community of Lystoun within Humbie. The lack of specific accusations or evidence in her case is not unusual for the time, when the fervor often outweighed the necessity for detailed documentation.
On the 15th of August, 1649, a confession was recorded in Janet's case, a common occurrence during witch trials. Confessions during this period were often obtained under duress or through leading questions that reflected the intense pressure placed on the accused. Just a day later, on the 16th of August, Janet's case was brought alongside five others from Humbie, highlighting the communal nature of these trials where multiple accusations could spring up simultaneously. The details of Janet's confession, the methods by which it was obtained, and its contents remain absent from the surviving records, painting an incomplete picture of her trial.
The trial itself, referenced by an anonymous record, remains similarly devoid of information. Its sparse details suggest that it might have concluded swiftly, as was often the case with lesser known, smaller-scale trials. The fragmentary nature of Janet Carnecroce's historical footprint exemplifies the challenges faced by historians in reconstructing the full narrative of those accused during the Scottish witch trials. This lack of comprehensive documentation reflects both the pervasive fear and the procedural opacity of the era, leaving many stories like Janet's largely untold and shrouded in mystery.