In the spring of 1659, a woman identified in various court documents as Isobell, Elspeth, or Elizabeth Crockett of Garveston, Alloa, found herself drawn into the judicial machinery of the Scottish witch trials. Alongside two other individuals, Elspeth faced a circuit court at Stirling on March 23, 1659, to answer to charges of witchcraft. Despite her formal plea of not guilty and the presence of a recorded confession, the court returned a verdict of guilty. The sentence imposed upon her was one of banishment, and until transport could be arranged, she was ordered to be held in Stirling prison.
Elspeth’s confinement in Stirling would span two arduous years, during which time she remained in custody awaiting the fulfillment of her sentence. In 1661, the trajectory of her case shifted when a petition was brought before the Privy Council. Reviewing the circumstances of her initial conviction, the Council identified procedural irregularities in the earlier proceedings, leading them to vacate the original outcome. Consequently, the Council ordered that Elspeth undergo a second trial. This subsequent hearing was conducted at a local level, though the historical records do not preserve the final verdict of these reopened proceedings.