In the mid-17th century, amidst the tumultuous period of the Scottish witch trials, Keathren Sowter found herself at the center of an accusation that would thrust her into a world of fear and suspicion. Residing in the small village of Auldearn, Nairn—a region not unfamiliar with the harsh realities of the time—Keathren was one of many women caught in the web of distrust that permeated society. The year was 1662, a time when belief in witchcraft was fervent and often sanctioned by law.
On April 14 of that year, formal charges were brought against Keathren under the case indexed as C/EGD/476, marking the beginning of her ordeal. The trial process, recorded under T/LA/1864, unfolded as part of a broader wave of witch hunts that engulfed Scotland, driven by a confluence of socio-political tensions and religious fervor. While the specific accusations against Keathren are not detailed in surviving records, her case fits within the larger narrative of the time when deviations from societal norms, personal vendettas, and misfortunes could all too easily result in accusations of witchcraft.
Keathren's story, preserved in these sparse official documents, highlights the plight faced by many in a society gripped by fear of the supernatural and driven by a desire to root out perceived evil. Though the records do not reveal the outcome of her trial, Keathren's case contributes to our understanding of the pervasive anxiety of the era—where the spectre of witchcraft loomed large over the lives of ordinary women, casting a long shadow over communities eager to assign blame for the uncertainties of life in early modern Scotland.