In April 1597, Agnes Wobster, a 41-year-old resident of Ludquharn in the parish of Longside, faced trial in Aberdeen amidst the intense judicial activity that characterized the Scottish witch-hunts of the late sixteenth century. According to the court records, Agnes provided a confession detailing a relationship with the Devil that she claimed had begun sixteen years prior, when she was twenty-five years old. Her testimony formed the core of the prosecution’s case against her, which also involved allegations of property damage specifically linked to the interference with dairy production—a common concern in agrarian communities of the period.
The judicial proceedings against Agnes were reinforced by her inclusion in the testimonies of others, as she was formally named as an accomplice by Caterein Gib in a related trial. Following her confession and the evidence presented before the court, Agnes was found guilty. On April 24, 1597, the sentence of execution was carried out, and she was put to death by burning. Her case remains documented under the records of the Justiciary Court, serving as a stark example of the legal mechanisms and social tensions prevalent in Aberdeenshire during the spring of 1597.