In the early eighteenth century, amidst the witch trials that swept across Scotland, Agnes Supp found herself caught in the turmoil of accusations in the region of Kilmacolm, encompassing Port Glasgow where she resided. Agnes, a married woman of lower socioeconomic standing, worked as a servant to a maltman. Despite her humble position, or perhaps because of its precarious nature, she became embroiled in a series of witchcraft allegations that unfurled in the area. Accusations arose from two young women, Margaret Laird in Paisley, and Margaret Murdoch in Govan, who claimed they were tormented by witches, and in their distressed and fitful states, named numerous individuals, including Agnes.
The accusations against Agnes Supp stemmed largely from the dramatic denunciations during the fits experienced by Laird and Murdoch, which occurred between April 19 and April 22, 1699. Witnesses testified to the strange outbursts and pointed denunciations made by the afflicted girls, painting vivid scenes of their torment. The charges were sufficiently alarming that a trial was conceived, to be held in Glasgow on May 19, 1699; however, records do not indicate that it took place. The matter instead reached the high court in Edinburgh by March of the following year. Ultimately, on March 12, 1700, the court decided to release Agnes. The abandonment of her trial—described as the diet being deserted—concluded her harrowing brush with the era's fearful legal reprisals against alleged witchcraft, leaving behind scant details of the impacts on her life or psyche.
While the records provide a mere outline of what must have been a tumultuous chapter in Agnes's life, the outcome reflects a rare moment of respite amidst the broader frenzy of Scottish witch trials. The proceedings against her ended without a conviction, a testament to the complexities and uncertainties that surrounded many such cases, driven as they were by a volatile mixture of personal grievances, societal fears, and profound superstition.