Jonet Braidheid, a married woman residing in Belmakeith, in the parish of Auldearn, Nairn, was drawn into the rigorous legal scrutiny of the Scottish witch trials during the summer of 1662. Her case, formally recorded as C/EGD/1474, saw her face serious accusations of *maleficium*, or harmful magic, specifically involving the destruction of crops and the harming of livestock. These charges culminated in a confession, which was formally documented on 14 April 1662, prior to her trial date on 10 July of that same year.
The legal proceedings against Jonet were deeply intertwined with a larger network of local accusations. In the testimonies provided by others brought before the courts, she was repeatedly named as an accomplice by a vast circle of individuals, including Margaret Wilsone, Bessie Friece, Mariorie Man, and many others from the surrounding community. These collective accounts positioned Jonet as a participant in illicit meetings of witches, casting her fate alongside over forty other neighbors who were likewise implicated in these widespread allegations of communal maleficence.
