In the opening days of the eighteenth century, Mary Keill, a resident of the district of Fernintosh in Ross, found herself drawn into the legal machinery of the Scottish witch trials. The records place her within the historical geography of this region—a settlement sometimes identified as Fermtoish, and associated with the hamlet of Newton of Ferintosh in the county of Nairnshire. At the turn of the new century, on January 2, 1700, Mary stood before the court to answer to the serious charges brought against her in case C/EGD/1789.
The judicial process for Mary concluded with remarkable efficiency on the same day the proceedings were held. According to the trial records (T/LA/1808), the court reached a verdict of not guilty on January 2, 1700. Having faced the gravity of an accusation during a period of intense social and legal scrutiny regarding witchcraft, Mary’s case was officially resolved, allowing her to return to her life in Fernintosh cleared of the charges leveled against her.