In the autumn of 1678, Agnes Somerville, a 45-year-old resident of Fala, a village near Edinburgh, found herself entangled in the web of one of Scotland's dark episodes of witch trials. Based on the records from that time, Agnes had confessed to entering the Devil's service two decades prior to her charge, a grave assertion amplified by her alleged involvement in witches’ meetings. Her initial confession was documented on the 24th of July 1678 and subsequently reiterated on the 4th of November of the same year, only days before her trial commenced.
The trial of Agnes Somerville was held in Edinburgh, one of the significant centers for such prosecutions. The proceedings were thorough, leading to a guilty verdict on the 6th of November after being initiated two days earlier. The case against Agnes was further compounded by mentions in the trials of Issobell Borthwick, Alison Rae, and Margaret Williamson, each identifying her as an accomplice in witch-like activities. Additionally, accusations against her were aggravated by alleged acts of property damage, specifically involving animals, which was a common charge associated with witchcraft due to the suspected maleficium, or harmful magic.
Once the verdict was read, Agnes faced the grim sentence executed upon those convicted of witchcraft during this era. She was sentenced to be strangled and then burned, a fate executed on a gallows positioned strategically between Edinburgh and Leith, a testament to the public spectacle such executions oftentimes became. The situation of Agnes Somerville stands as a stark reminder of the turbulent intersection of fear, superstition, and judicial practice in early modern Scotland's history.