In the mid-17th century, Jonet Miller of Auld Liston in Kirkliston, Linlithgow found herself ensnared in the pervasive web of witchcraft accusations that gripped Scotland. At the age of 51, Jonet faced allegations that stretched back decades, with detractors claiming she had caused harm as far back as when she was around four years old and had rendezvoused with the devil a mere five years prior. Such claims were rooted in the fervent societal fears of the supernatural, rather than any tangible evidence, setting the stage for Jonet to be labeled as a "known witch" by several individuals during other trials.
Despite this grave charge, the central trial took place in Edinburgh on August 20, 1661, far afield from her native Kirkliston. It is recorded that Jonet was tried alongside a seemingly arbitrary group, likely a reflection of the chaotic and fearful climate of witch hunts of the era. The jury, composed predominantly of individuals from Edinburgh, delivered a verdict of not guilty, reflecting either a lack of compelling evidence or possibly the influence of external orders that questioned the legitimacy or necessity of a subsequent trial planned for the following month. This projected trial on September 20, 1661, seems to have been either postponed or never took place, its absence from further records leaving Jonet’s fate after the initial verdict somewhat ambiguous.
Earlier, in August 1659, Jonet had undergone considerable ecclesiastical scrutiny, with recorded confessions at the local church—confessions she later retracted. The pressure to confess in such cases often arose from intense persuasions, if not outright duress, placed upon the accused within the communal and religious settings. The echoes of these confessions, though retracted, shadowed Jonet, compounded by the claims of property damage, specifically involving a dairy. Throughout, her case illustrates the often convoluted and perilous nature of witchcraft accusations during this tumultuous period in Scottish history.