In January 1650, Bessie Graham, a married woman of middling status from Dumfries, found herself among a group of seven individuals investigated by the local presbytery. Her position in the community was notable; she possessed resources—including a horse, sheep, and a servant—and was frequently sought after for her healing practices, for which she received significant payment. This professional activity, however, brought her under the scrutiny of the church authorities as the presbytery examined her conduct alongside that of her husband, T. Paton.
During the proceedings, Bessie acknowledged that she had acted as a charmer, admitting to the practice of rituals intended to influence health and fortune. Despite these admissions, she maintained a firm distinction regarding her actions, consistently denying the formal charge of witchcraft. The legal records pertaining to her case, archived under C/EGD/212 and T/LA/1503, preserve a unique historical perspective by documenting the same series of events that involved her husband, yet viewed through the specific lens of Bessie’s own testimony and the presbytery’s inquiry.