In the late summer of 1679, Isobell Hislop, a widowed woman residing in Crichton, Edinburgh, found herself entangled in the grim machinations of Scotland’s witch trials, notorious for their fervent pursuit of alleged practitioners of witchcraft. Isobell, at the age of 60, was brought under the shadow of suspicion alongside three individuals from Crichton, their names etched into the records of Edinburgh as suspected purveyors of sorcery and necromancy. Her late husband, James Wilson, likely offered her some measure of protection during his lifetime, but as a widow, Isobell stood more vulnerable to the whims of her community and the fears that gripped them.
The record of her case, a part of the Edinburgh Porteous Roll from September 8, 1679, details the standard accusatory practices of the time: charges of witchcraft, the casting of spells or necromantic acts, and the gravest of all, the renunciation of baptism in pledge to the Devil. These charges were repeated in a subsequent Porteous Roll from July 1683, asserting a persistent suspicion against Isobell and her co-accused. The marginal note “all absent and resited” indicates a possible absence from the trial or an act of resistance against the proceedings, a detail that stands out in the crisp language of judicial documentation, suggesting a shared defiance or inability to face the court's judgement.
Such records highlight the broader cultural and societal climate of the period, where accusations of witchcraft could swiftly cascade into formal indictments with severe consequences. For Isobell, like many others during this era, the courtroom and its dour proceedings were less about the individuals themselves and more a reflection of the tensions and supernatural fears pervading early modern Scottish society. Through these glimpses into historical records, we gain insight into Isobell's plight, standing at the intersection of fear, power, and the law in 17th century Scotland.