In November of 1649, Issobell Alexander, a woman residing in Scottistoun, Kirkurd in the county of Peebles, found herself entangled in the harrowing web of the Scottish witch trials. Issobell, who was married at the time, lived in a period marked by superstition and fear, where accusations of witchcraft could arise from neighborhood disputes or unexplained misfortunes. The specifics of Issobell's case, recorded under case number C/EGD/2388, reveal her as the focus of such an accusation.
Issobell stood trial under not one, but two separate proceedings, T/JO/588 and T/LA/2033, indicating a potentially complex and multifaceted case against her. During this era, the people of Peebles and the broader Scottish Lowlands often viewed incidents of poor harvests, sudden illnesses, or livestock deaths as manifestations of witchery. Accusations could be levied against a person for reasons as varied as being a midwife, offering herbal remedies, or merely falling out of favor with a community member. Although the documentation does not provide explicit details about the charges Issobell faced, the occurrence of two trials suggests that the case against her was considered serious enough to warrant repeated judicial attention.
The trials would have been both physically and emotionally taxing for Issobell, as was typical for those accused of witchcraft during this time. The processes often lacked fairness, with the accused given little opportunity to defend themselves against hearsay or suspicion. While the records do not convey the final verdict of Issobell's trials, they remain a stark reminder of the fear and turmoil that swept across Scotland during the witch hunts, marking the lives of those like Issobell Alexander with lasting infamy and suffering.