Janet Robertson, a woman of middling socioeconomic status residing in Govan, Lanark, found herself ensnared in the turbulent web of witchcraft accusations that sporadically erupted in early modern Scotland. As the wife of a local smith, Janet lived within a community familiar with the ebb and flow of rural and small-town life at the turn of the 18th century. However, her life took a drastic turn when Margaret Murdoch, a girl from the same parish, claimed to be tormented by witches. During her fits, Murdoch, daughter of John Murdoch of Craigtown, accused several individuals, among them Janet Robertson. These public accusations were enough to cast a shadow over Janet's life, drawing her into the legal maelstrom that often surrounded such denunciations.
Janet's case notes reveal that much of the judicial process unfolded in Glasgow, beginning with witness testimonies collected in April 1699. Eye-witness accounts predominantly focused on Murdoch's debilitating episodes and the subsequent accusations made amidst them. Despite plans to hold a trial in Glasgow the following month, no such proceedings occurred. Instead, the matter was transferred to the high court in Edinburgh, where the formal trial against Janet on March 12, 1700, led to her release, as the court opted to desert the diet. This decision effectively dissolved the accusations against her, allowing Janet to return to her life in Govan. Yet, the records remind us, this was not the first time that a notable Scottish witch trial involved accusations spreading within familial lines, as indicated by the implication of Janet's daughter in the same affair.