In the year 1679, amidst the turbulent years of the Scottish witch trials, a woman by the name of John Corsbie found herself caught in the web of accusations that swept through the region. Residing in the small village of Lintley, within Berwick's parish of Bunkle, John was called to appear before the circuit court at Berwick on the 16th of September. The summons labeled her as a "delinquent," a term that, during this era of heightened witchcraft paranoia, carried the heavy implication of involvement in maleficent dealings.
The trial records for John's case, cryptically marked "dead" on the delinquents' porteous roll, suggest that her circumstances took a grave turn. This notation might imply that John passed away before the conclusion of her legal proceedings, whether as a result of the harsh conditions frequently endured by those imprisoned under suspicion, or due to other factors unrecorded in the surviving documents. Her required appearance at court and subsequent listing among other accused individuals underline a moment in which social fear and suspicion could irrevocably alter, or end, the lives of those entangled by accusations of witchcraft. The case of John Corsbie reflects a poignant chapter in the annals of Scottish history, characterized by the perilous intersection of law, superstition, and the fateful consequences endured by those summoned by the courts of the time.