In the spring of 1659, Jannet Corsan of Dumfries found herself ensnared in the grim tides of the Scottish witch trials. Described as being of middling socioeconomic status, Jannet and her husband cultivated a life revolving around their croft. Despite their relatively stable standing, which allowed them the means to offer a bribe to a jailor using wheat and a swine, Jannet's life took a perilous turn when she was accused of witchcraft.
The trial proceedings for Jannet Corsan, recorded in early April 1659, reflect a dark chapter in history where accusations alone could seal a person's fate. Tried on the 4th of April in Dumfries, Jannet maintained her innocence, firmly pleading not guilty before the court. Nevertheless, her efforts were in vain, as she was found guilty. The records in Courtbook JC26 leave a stark record of the consequent sentence: execution by strangling and burning, a common fate for those declared witches in that era.
Jannet’s name surfaced as an accomplice in other witchcraft accusations, implicated by the likes of Jonet Miller and Grissell McCairtnay. These associations possibly contributed to the weight of evidence against her, highlighting the interconnected nature of witchcraft trials where the accused often faced condemnation within tangled webs of community suspicion and fear. Jannet Corsan's fate serves as a poignant reminder of the harrowing trials faced by many during this tumultuous period in Scottish history.