In the summer of 1678, a woman known only as the Wife of Walter Spense found herself ensnared in the perilous web of witchcraft accusations that intermittently plagued early modern Scotland. Residing in Paiston within the parish of Ormiston, near Edinburgh, her life was thrust into turmoil following charges laid against her. The precise nature of the accusations remains unclear in the surviving records, but they were deemed serious enough to warrant formal proceedings, indicating the gravity with which these community suspicions were treated during this period.
On the 9th of July, 1678, the case against her was set in motion as documented under the entry C/LA/3067. Unfortunately, scant details remain concerning the specific allegations or the evidence presented. It appears that her trial was catalogued under the record T/LA/1454. Such trials were often held in local courts and could involve various forms of evidence, including testimony from neighbours or the outcomes of dubious tests used to identify witches. The Wife of Walter Spense's narrative, like many others from this turbulent era, exemplifies the profound uncertainties and fears surrounding witchcraft in 17th-century Scotland, forcing individuals, often women, to defend themselves against charges that could arise from social tensions or personal grievances within their communities.