Alesone Coline, a resident of Duns in Berwick, found herself caught within the mechanisms of the Scottish judicial system during the summer of 1630. While some contemporary records and later editorial annotations have attempted to conflate her identity with that of an individual named Alisone Nisbet, the distinct nature of the charges suggests that Alesone remains a separate figure in the historical landscape. Her legal journey gained momentum following a formal denunciation made against her on July 15, 1629, by Alexander Hammilton in Haddington.
By June 22, 1630, official proceedings against Alesone were underway, documented under case file C/EGD/1226. The primary accusation brought against her involved participation in a witches’ meeting, a charge that carried significant gravity within the legal and social framework of early seventeenth-century Scotland. Although the archival trail—comprising multiple trial references—is fragmented, these records serve as the enduring testament to the processes Alesone faced as a woman of Duns brought before the court.