In 1643, the legal machinery of St Andrews, Fife, turned its attention toward Isbell Dairsie. As documented in case file C/EGD/2465, Isbell was identified within the ecclesiastical and civil records of the mid-seventeenth century as the subject of a witchcraft inquiry. This period in Fife was marked by heightened scrutiny regarding spiritual conduct and communal order, and Isbell found herself positioned at the centre of these proceedings as the local authorities sought to reconcile her actions with the prevailing statutes of the time.
While historical records regarding Isbell remain focused on her formal registration within the judicial system, her case serves as a point of intersection for the social anxieties of St Andrews during the 1640s. The archival entry for Isbell acknowledges the constraints of historical documentation, noting that her specific involvement in the legal process was highlighted in research concerning the broader scope of Scottish witchcraft trials. Through these sparse but significant records, the life of Isbell remains anchored to the documented judicial framework that defined the lived experience of those caught in the rigorous investigations of the early modern period.