Elspeth Wilson, a resident of Renfrew, found herself unwittingly embroiled in the witch trials that punctuated early modern Scotland's fabric. Her name surfaced in the year 1699, a time when the aftershocks of the infamous Renfrewshire witch trials of 1697 still rippled through the community. The records indicate that Elspeth was accused—her name "delated," as the term goes—by one James Lindsay, a familiar figure from the earlier trials. This accusation, however, appears to have been more ephemeral than tangible, as the official response to her case remains elusive.
Testimonies concerning Elspeth were recorded in Paisley over several days in April of 1699, yet the records offer no clear evidence of any formal proceedings against her. A single man testified that he heard Lindsay’s declaration, but beyond that, the documentation stands silent on whether further legal action ensued. The absence of concrete outcomes or punitive measures within the historical record leaves Elspeth's fate shrouded in ambiguity. While the specter of accusation loomed large, it appears that, at least according to what has survived in the archives, Elspeth may have avoided the more dire consequences that befell many others accused of witchcraft during that turbulent period.