Janet McMurdoche, a married woman from Dumfries, stands out in the annals of Scottish witch trials during the late seventeenth century. She claimed to hail from Aird, yet this particular location eluded the compilers of regional records, leaving a slight mystery about her origins. Her case, designated C/EGD/588, was documented in the year 1671, a time when fear of witchcraft lingered heavily in the Scottish air. The trial, held on May 15th of that year in Dumfries, was swift and, by today's standards, tragically lacking in full details.
Despite the incomplete nature of the historical record, we know that Janet was found guilty and sentenced to execution. Her demise followed swiftly on May 18, 1671, just three days post-trial—a testament to the period's unforgiving judicial processes regarding witchcraft accusations. She met her end by strangulation, followed by burning, a method not uncommon in Scotland at the time for those convicted of consorting with malevolent forces. The records hint at the possibility of other individuals being involved in her case, yet their identities and roles remain obscured by the sparse documentation. Janet's story, as far as it is captured in historical records, reflects a grim epoch when accusations of witchcraft could uproot lives and extinguish them with little formality.