In August 1629, the life of Bessie Carfa, a resident of the royal burgh of Haddington, became the subject of formal judicial proceedings. Her case, documented under the reference C/EGD/1122, marked a definitive moment in the application of the Witchcraft Act within the Lothians. While the specific charges brought against her in the Haddington court are not detailed in the surviving fragments of the record, the legal process against her moved with the typical administrative gravity of the period, eventually coming to the attention of the Privy Council.
Following her trial (T/LA/734), the court reached a verdict of guilty. As a consequence of this judgment, Bessie was condemned to death. In accordance with the statutes governing the crime of witchcraft in early modern Scotland, the sentence was carried out through burning. Official records from the Privy Council confirm that the execution was completed, marking the end of the proceedings against her in Haddington.