On 21 March 1633, the legal machinery of the Orkney sheriff court concluded its proceedings against Bessie Skebister, a resident of the parish of Walls. The archival records, indexed under case C/EGD/2257 and trial T/LA/1420, document the finality of this judicial process. Within the context of early modern Scottish jurisprudence, Bessie was brought before the court to answer charges that, by the standards of the time, necessitated a formal inquiry into her conduct and associations.
The trial, held in the remote northern setting of Orkney, resulted in a verdict of guilty. Following the sentencing of the sheriff court, Bessie was executed for the crimes of which she was convicted. In accordance with the grim administrative protocols of the period regarding those found guilty of witchcraft, her death sentence was carried out through the method of strangulation followed by burning. Records confirm that the sentence was fully executed, marking the end of the legal proceedings against Bessie.