In the late spring of 1697, Katherine Campbell, a woman of middling socioeconomic standing residing in the parish of Erskine in Renfrew, found herself ensnared in one of Scotland’s most infamous witch hunts. As the wife of a tailor, Katherine had once served in the household of the young accuser, Christian Shaw, a connection that would soon prove consequential. The Renfrewshire witch trials of 1697, of which her case was a part, were spurred by young Christian Shaw's alleged possession and subsequent accusations of witchcraft against several individuals, including Katherine.
The accusations against Katherine included participation in witches' meetings, a charge that carried severe implications at the time. She was among the first to be named due to her past association with the Shaw household. The trial commenced amidst the fervor incited by Christian's claims, and Katherine, along with six others, stood trial out of over twenty-eight accused. Despite the absence of concrete evidence that might satisfy modern judicial standards, the fervent atmosphere of the trials led to her conviction.
Her trial, noted in the presbytery records, began in April and stretched until mid-May. Following a guilty verdict, Katherine's fate was sealed, and she faced execution at Gallow Green. On the 10th of June, 1697, she was put to death by the grim process of strangling, followed by burning, a method characteristic of the time's fear and condemnation of supposed witchcraft. Her case remains a poignant example of the peril faced by women and men during the witch hunts, a harsh chapter in Scotland's early modern history.