In the tumultuous years of the late 17th century in Scotland, the shadow of witchcraft accusations fell upon Agnes Hendrie, a widow residing in the small coastal town of Culross in Fife. As was tragically common in the era, her status as a widow may have made her more vulnerable to suspicions. In the year 1675, she was charged at the tender age of unknown years with participating in a witches' meeting—an accusation that carried dire consequences.
Agnes's trial commenced on the 12th of July, 1675, within the stone walls of Edinburgh. The proceedings stretched over several days, concluding on the 19th. Throughout the trial, multiple confessions were recorded from Agnes, beginning as early as the 4th of May, and continuing on the days of her trial. These records likely capture the desperate, arduous circumstances she faced—a common scenario for those accused, who, under duress, often confessed to avoid protracted torture or in hopes of leniency that seldom came. Ultimately, the court rendered a verdict of guilty against Agnes.
Her sentence was carried out swiftly and with the brutal finality characteristic of the period. On the 29th of July, 1675, Agnes Hendrie was executed by strangulation and burning at a location between Edinburgh and Leith, a common site for such grim events. Her death marked the tragic culmination of her journey through the witch trials—an evocative reminder of the perilous intersection between superstition and justice in early modern Scotland.