In September 1649, the judicial machinery of seventeenth-century Scotland turned toward Jonet Nicolsone, a resident of Netherhalles in the parish of Prestonkirk, Haddington. Her legal proceedings, cataloged under case reference C/EGD/2384, moved with the swift and severe efficiency characteristic of the period’s anti-witchcraft campaigns. Following an initial appearance before the authorities on September 7, 1649, Jonet was subjected to the interrogation processes of the time, resulting in a formal confession being recorded against her.
Under the protocols governing the trial of T/JO/787, the legal process reached its conclusion with grim speed. Before the month of September had ended, the sentence passed upon Jonet was carried out. In accordance with the statutes then in force, she was executed by burning, marking the finality of her encounter with the Scottish judicial system.