In September 1662, Mary McFinley Vic Comes, a resident of Inverness, became the subject of legal proceedings recorded under case file C/EGD/1663. While the official trial notes preserved in T/JO/991 offer no specific details regarding the accusations brought against her, the administrative records of the period document a rigorous process of interrogation. The judicial investigation into Mary’s activities reached its height in June 1662, during which time she was subjected to a series of physical methods intended to extract testimony.
The records indicate that Mary underwent severe physical constraints and punitive measures throughout that month. She was bound with ropes and endured the whip, alongside more specialized forms of duress including the burning of her feet and the prolonged suspension of her body by her thumbs. Additionally, Mary was subjected to sleep deprivation, a method documented as part of the formal effort to secure information during her confinement. Following these recorded events, her case was officially processed on the 4th of September 1662, though the final outcome of the trial remains unstated in the extant historical record.