In the early 18th century, amidst the tumult of Scottish witch trials, Janet Cornfoot of Leuchars, Fife, became a notable figure cast under the ominous shadow of witchcraft accusations. Janet was one among seven individuals charged with using malevolent forces to torment Patrick Morton, a 16-year-old from the nearby town of Pittenweem. This case echoed the notorious precedent of Bargarran's daughter in the west, reflecting the widespread fear and societal apprehension that such allegations stirred. Appointed to oversee these allegations was Her Majesty's Advocate, Sir James Stewart, underscoring the case's severity as commissioned by the Privy Council and funded by the treasury to ensure its prosecution. Despite the formalities of trial preparations and recorded confessions in June 1704, Janet’s fate was sealed not by legal verdict but by the furious verdict of a local mob.
The intensity of the witchcraft suspicions culminated in tragic violence against Janet. In 1705, an enraged crowd seized her, subjecting her to brutal punishment and leaving her nearly dead at the Sea Mark. Although local bailies attempted to intervene and rescue her from such grievous harm, their efforts were in vain. Janet was once again captured and gruesomely crushed to death under a door laden with stones. This extrajudicial execution sparked outrage at a higher level, prompting the Privy Council to demand that those who orchestrated and participated in the lethal attack be brought to justice. The Council ordered their detention at the Edinburgh tolbooth alongside charges laid against the magistrates for failing to maintain civil order, a somber testament to the chaos and fear the witch trials wreaked across the communities of Scotland.