In August 1661, Helen Casse, a 35-year-old married woman, stood before an assize in Edinburgh to face charges of witchcraft. Although contemporary records, specifically the Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, link her to Fisherrow, she was a resident of Wester Duddingston at the time of her apprehension. The judicial proceedings moved with striking swiftness: Helen gave a formal confession on 20 August 1661, the same day as her trial. During this testimony, she admitted to having first encountered the devil ten years prior, when she was twenty-five years of age.
Despite the gravity of the accusations, Helen’s confession remained notably brief, and the surviving records offer little insight into the specific activities or grievances that brought her before the court. The composition of the jury was also unusual, as the assize was drawn largely from Edinburgh rather than from her local community in Duddingston. Following the guilty verdict rendered on 20 August, the legal process concluded rapidly. Three days later, on 23 August 1661, Helen was executed by being strangled and burned.