In the small village of Lintley, near Bunkle in Berwick, lived a woman named John Corsbie, whose life became entwined with the notorious witch trials of 17th-century Scotland. On the 16th of September, 1679, John was summoned before the circuit court at Berwick as a "delinquent." The records do not elaborate on the nature of the accusations or the evidence that brought John to the court's attention, a common issue during this tumultuous period when charges could emerge from community tensions or personal vendettas as much as from any alleged maleficence.
John's case was documented in the judicial record labelled (C/LA/3090), where the expectation was that she would appear again if called upon. However, the concurrent trial records (T/LA/1489) offer a somber note: alongside her name appears the word "dead," suggesting that John Corsbie may have passed away either before she could face further trial or before the proceedings were concluded. The reasons behind her death remain absent from the records, shrouded in mystery and unanswered questions about whether her death was a natural occurrence or a consequence of the harsh realities faced by those accused of witchcraft.
John Corsbie's story is a poignant reminder of the human cost of the witch trials, where individuals, often marginalized by gender or social status, found themselves enmeshed in a legal system driven by fear and superstition. Her life and her fate, recorded only briefly and cryptically, reflect the broader, devastating impacts of the witch trials on countless lives across Scotland during this era.