In November 1661, Barbara Hood, a resident of Berwick, became ensnared in the legal machinery of the Scottish witch trials. While her formal residence was recorded as Berwick, the involvement of commissioners from the nearby coastal village of Eyemouth suggests her life and social connections were rooted in that region. Her case, documented under reference C/EGD/1405, proceeded through the judicial system during a period of intense scrutiny regarding witchcraft across the Scottish Lowlands.
The progression of the legal proceedings against Barbara was swift. By the 7th of November 1661, her case had been officially registered, leading to the collection of evidence and testimony. Before the month had concluded, a formal confession was extracted from her. Although the specific trial notes recorded under T/JO/801 offer no further details regarding the nature of the proceedings or the content of her admissions, this confession remains the final documented stage of her interaction with the seventeenth-century court.