In the summer of 1628, Janet Wright, a forty-three-year-old married woman residing in Niddry, Linlithgow, was brought before the authorities to answer charges of witchcraft. The legal proceedings, documented under case file C/EGD/1029, culminated on the 28th of July, marking a pivotal moment in the local administration of justice during this period of intense scrutiny. Although Niddry remains elusive within the specific records of the Linlithgow presbytery, the official papers confirm Janet’s status as a resident of the parish and outline the formal progression of her trial, T/LA/498.
During the course of the inquiry, Janet provided a detailed confession regarding her involvement in witchcraft. In her statement, recorded in 1628, she acknowledged that she had been a practitioner for eighteen to nineteen years. This admission effectively accounted for the period spanning nearly half of her life, aligning with her age at the time of the accusation. These records stand as the primary evidence of her testimony, preserving the gravity of her own account during the trial process.