Jean Drummond, residing in the village of Kilbarchan in Renfrewshire, found herself enmeshed in the web of witchcraft accusations that swept through Scotland at the turn of the 18th century. Her ordeal began when a young girl named Margaret Laird, who lived in nearby Paisley, claimed she was being tormented by witches. During her fits, Laird pointed the finger at many individuals, including Jean, as the source of her afflictions. The community, likely seized by fear and superstition, took these denunciations seriously, and the course of events soon brought Jean to trial.
Witness testimonies against Jean were collected primarily in Paisley during April of 1699, with accounts from those who observed Laird's fits and the accusations that arose from them. Such testimonies were central to witchcraft trials of the period, as physical evidence was often scarce or nonexistent. Jean's case was slated for trial in Glasgow on the 19th of May, 1699, but records suggest that this trial never materialized. It would take until the following year for her case to reach the high court in Edinburgh.
On the 12th of March, 1700, Jean Drummond's case was finally adjudicated. The records indicate that after reviewing the evidence—a mix of local testimonies and the dittay compiled in the previous year—the court opted to release her. The diet, essentially the scheduled hearing, was deserted, perhaps reflective of the insufficient or unreliable evidence against her. Jean's release marked the end of what must have been a profoundly unsettling chapter in her life, emblematic of the broader societal tensions and fears surrounding witchcraft at the time.