In the late summer of 1679, the quiet life of Isobell Hislop, a 60-year-old widow residing in Crichton, Edinburgh, was dramatically upturned by allegations of witchcraft. The records indicate that Isobell was married to James Wilson, but her story unfolds in the years following his death, a time often marked by vulnerability in her community. The Edinburgh porteous rolls of delinquents list Isobell among those accused of witchcraft, sorcery, and necromancy—a broad and grave set of charges prevalent during the witch trials of early modern Scotland. The accusations extended to renouncing baptism and allegiances to the Devil, echoing the severe fears and superstitions that gripped the period.
Isobell was not alone in this ordeal. She was tried alongside G. Penman and others from Crichton, signifying a collective suspicion that may have fallen upon a particular circle or community. Her case was processed through the circuit court, a standard judicial pathway for such accusations, which underscores the level of formality and severity attributed to these charges. Interestingly, a subsequent record from 1683 included Isobell in the Edinburgh Porteous Roll again, suggesting the enduring nature of these accusations or possibly her evasion of earlier legal proceedings.
A marginal note in the trial documentation, stating that all accused were "absent and resided," indicates that neither Isobell nor her co-accused were present to defend themselves during these proceedings. This absence leaves a significant void in the historical narrative, as it is unclear whether this was a deliberate act of defiance, an escape from persecution, or perhaps a result of other circumstances. The absence of these individuals leaves us without testimony or defense, further enveloping Isobell's fate in a shroud of mystery commonly found in the records of 17th-century witch trials.