On 24 February 1629, the judicial records of Selkirk mark the initiation of formal proceedings against Bessie Meyne. As an inhabitant of the burgh of Selkirk, Bessie found herself drawn into the legal apparatus of the early seventeenth-century Scottish witch trials, a period characterized by heightened anxieties surrounding maleficium and the perceived influence of the demonic. Her case, documented under reference C/EGD/1086, represents a specific instance of the administrative rigorousness with which local authorities approached allegations of witchcraft during this era.
Following the initial registration of the case, Bessie was subjected to the formal processes of the Scottish legal system, culminating in the trial recorded under reference T/LA/652. These proceedings highlight the intersection of local community tensions and the jurisdictional reach of the courts. While the records are sparse regarding the specific nature of the evidence brought against her, the existence of these official documents confirms that Bessie was formally processed through the burgh’s judicial channels, reflecting the broader social and legal climate that defined the lives of those accused of such crimes in the Scottish Borders during the early modern period.