Jannet Gentleman found herself embroiled in the turbulent and perilous climate of witchcraft accusations that plagued Scotland in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Residing in Glasgow, Lanark, she was married to a beadle, a role indicating a status above the lower classes, thus placing her in a relatively stable socioeconomic position. Her brush with the witch trials was spurred by the fraught testimony of a young girl, Margaret Murdoch, from the parish of Govan. Murdoch, allegedly tormented by witches, pointed her finger at many, including Jannet, amid fits that led to wild denunciations.
The allegations against Jannet were recorded in 1699, with the initial proceedings occurring in Glasgow. Witnesses there provided testimony relating to Margaret's fits, during which Murdoch made her accusations. A bond of caution, acted upon by Jannet's husband in 1699, highlighted the serious nature of the charges she faced but also suggested a temporary reprieve, given that such bonds served as a form of bail. Despite the gravity of the situation, the scheduled trial in Glasgow on May 19, 1699, did not materialize, an occurrence not entirely uncommon in these cases.
Jannet's legal journey continued to Edinburgh, where the formalities and documents of trial preparation resumed by way of witness statements and dittays—formal written accusations—dating from April 1699. However, the eventual abandonment of the trial in 1700, where the "diet was deserted," marked the end of legal pursuit against her. Jannet Gentleman was released, a decision perhaps suggesting a lack of sufficient or convincing evidence against her. Her case stands as a reminder of the fraught and often capricious nature of witch trials, which could upend lives based on the fevered declarations and public frenzy of the time.