Janet Hairstains, a widow residing in Collin, Torthorwald, Dumfries, found herself ensnared in the web of witchcraft accusations that permeated early 18th-century Scotland. The historical records indicate that Janet was a particularly itinerant figure, moving frequently, likely as a consequence of the accusations leveled against her. Her name surfaces in various locations; she is first documented in the parish of Troqueer before being noted in Rockhall and subsequently Kirkcudbright, all of which implies she led a peripatetic life possibly necessitated by her legal troubles. The uncommon nature of her surname supports the likelihood that this is the same Janet Hairstains, despite occasional administrative ambiguities about her identity.
The records detail Janet's entanglement with the presbytery of Dumfries, where an investigation in 1700 concluded with her banishment from the presbytery and synod’s jurisdiction. This initial sentence of banishment, to which Janet acquiesced, suggests a complex legal and social environment in which accusations could have dramatic implications for a woman's life. Despite complying with her banishment, Janet resurfaced in the Kirkcudbright area, only to face further legal scrutiny. Her situation reflects the turbulent and often dangerous reality faced by women accused of witchcraft during this period, who were vulnerable to repeated accusations and systemic expulsion.
By May 1709, Janet's tribulations brought her before the circuit court once more. The records from that time provide a terse yet telling snapshot of her legal standing; she was noted as 'not guilty,' leading to her release. This outcome followed her listing in earlier porteous rolls and being placed under caution in 1708, indicating ongoing suspicion but perhaps insufficient evidence to secure a conviction for witchcraft-associated "property damage," which, notably, involved animals. Her demographics—a widowed, itinerant woman—sharpen the focus on the kind of profile often caught in the fray of witchcraft trials during this era. Janet Hairstains emerges from the records not as a mere name but as a representative figure of the tumult faced by many women like her.