In the coastal parish of Aberdour, Fife, a woman named Susanna Alexander found herself ensnared in the oppressive web of the Scottish witch trials, which gripped the nation from 1563 to 1736. On September 3, 1661, her name appeared in the official records as part of an ongoing witchcraft case, subsumed under the file designated C/EGD/1867. This incident placed her amid the tumultuous fervor of a society deeply entangled with fears of witchcraft, where accusations, often spurred by local disputes or unexplained phenomena, could swiftly culminate into formal trials.
The judicial process against Susanna extended into at least two trials, marked under the records T/JO/1442 and T/JO/2205. Unfortunately, the records do not provide illuminating insight into the specific charges that Susanna faced or the nature of the allegations levied upon her. During this period, accusations of witchcraft often drew upon a variety of claims, from causing illness or misfortune to practicing diabolical rituals or engaging in pacts with malevolent spirits. What we do know from the pattern of such trials is that they often relied on confessions—frequently extracted under duress—and the testimony of community members.
Susanna's trials occurred against a backdrop of widespread paranoia and fear, a time when the courts were eager to root out perceived witchcraft threats. While the results of Susanna’s trials are not detailed in the surviving records, her experience is a somber reminder of the turbulent and perilous conditions faced by those accused during this fraught chapter of Scottish history. Her story remains a poignant example of individual lives caught amidst the larger societal upheavals of early modern Scotland.