In December 1643, Helen Hill, a fifty-year-old married woman of middling status, found herself drawn into the legal machinery of the Scottish witch trials in the burgh of Queensferry, Linlithgow. Living as the wife of a mariner, Helen occupied a social position that placed her within the established community of the port town. However, the legal proceedings that began that winter would ultimately unravel the fabric of her family life, as the accusations leveled against her soon extended to those closest to her.
The investigation into Helen’s activities became deeply intertwined with the broader pursuit of alleged witchcraft within her household. By September 1644, her name surfaced during the ongoing proceedings against one of her two adult daughters, both of whom had been caught in the same cycle of accusation. The outcome for the family was final and severe; following the conclusion of her trial, Helen was executed by burning in 1644.