Agnes Finnie was a shopkeeper and money-lender living in Potterrow, Edinburgh, a bustling area located near Grey Friars. At the age of 48, Agnes became embroiled in the swirling rumors and accusations of witchcraft that were pervasive in 17th-century Scotland. Her life in the thriving Scottish capital, augmented by the responsibilities as a mother of a daughter noted for involvement in verbal altercations known as "flyting," would suddenly and irrevocably change with accusations that would see her name etched into the annals of the infamous witch trials.
The charges against Agnes were grave, centering on a demonic pact, an accusation that carried the heaviest of consequences. These accusations began with a formal denunciation recorded on July 8, 1644. The complexity of her case was underscored by the detailed and intricate legal arguments presented at her trial in December of the same year. The court proceedings were notable for their irregularities and delays, highlighted by a postponement due to the defense's lack of preparedness. Witnesses were called outside the standard judicial processes, and the jury’s deliberations extended over several weeks, indicating the contentious nature of the case. The verdict was one of guilt, culminating in a sentence of execution by strangulation followed by burning, a common fate for those convicted of witchcraft.
Agnes's trial did not exist in isolation, for she was mentioned in other witchcraft trials by figures such as Alexander Drummond, Isobell Young, and Margaret Wallace, symbolizing how her case was perceived as a precedent in the tangled legal environment of witch trials. The records also suggest that the repercussions of the conviction on Agnes's life went beyond the personal—her entire estate suffered damage, a common consequence as societal fears manifested economically as well as socially. Her execution took place on Castle Hill on March 6, 1645, drawing to a close a life marked by the intersection of commerce, legal battles, and the turbulent shadow of witchcraft accusations in early modern Scotland.