In the early twilight of the 18th century, Jean Woodrow found herself embroiled in the fervent hysteria surrounding witchcraft in Scotland. A widow residing in the humble vicinity of Bridge end, Kilmacolm, in Renfrew, Jean's life was marked by her late husband's former profession as a baxter, though she herself navigated the challenges of a lower socioeconomic standing, as evidenced by her frequent denial of alms. The witchcraft accusations against her unfolded in 1700, stemming from a series of tumultuous denunciations made by Margaret Laird, a young girl in Paisley whose fits and alleged torment by witches prompted a sweeping hunt for supposed practitioners of dark arts.
The case against Jean was not built on tangible evidence, but rather on the volatile utterances of a tormented youth. Jean's fate was largely influenced by the testimonies collected during Laird's fits, as witnesses from Paisley came forth to recount the events of April 1699 when Laird accused several individuals of causing her distress. These testimonies were compiled into a legal document known as a dittay, which initially set the stage for a trial in May of the same year. However, the proceeding took an unexpected turn when the High Court intervened, determining that the case against Jean would effectively dissolve with an order issued in 1700, leading to her release.
Accusations against Jean extended beyond her personal harm to claims of property damage—a narrative flourish common in witchcraft allegations, alleging supernatural disruption to dairies and mills. Yet, despite the climate of fear and suspicion that fueled these charges, the trial's resolution saw Jean freed without stain of conviction, a testament perhaps to shifting judicial attitudes at the dawn of the new century. Her life, noted sparsely in the records beyond this traumatic intersection with witchcraft hysteria, serves as a poignant illustration of the precariousness faced by women of her standing in early modern Scotland.