Janet Horne, a woman from the town of Dornoch in Sutherland, enters the historical record as the last known person to be accused of witchcraft and subjected to execution in Scotland. Her case, documented in June of 1727, occurred during a period when witch trials were, albeit dwindling, still part of the legal fabric in Scotland. The specifics of Janet's alleged 'crimes' are not detailed in the surviving case notes, but whatever the accusations, they were serious enough to warrant the attention of the authorities and the tragic outcome that followed.
The record mentions Janet under the case name "Horne, Janet," denoted as C/EGD/2095, though much about her life prior to this notoriety remains obscured by time and the incomplete retention of historical records. What is noted in the secondary sources, which historians like Larner might have examined, illustrates a particular poignancy to her story, hinting at societal fears and the complex dynamics of early 18th-century Scottish belief systems regarding witchcraft. Janet Horne's case marks a somber chapter in history, capturing a moment when legal practices were still influenced by age-old suspicions and fears, and serves as a reminder of the broader socio-cultural contexts that framed such proceedings in Scotland during this era.