In the summer of 1661, Bessie Wilson, a resident of Gilmerton in the parish of Liberton, Edinburgh, became embroiled in the intense judicial scrutiny that characterized the witch hunts of the mid-seventeenth century. Her legal ordeal began to formalize in late July, as court records indicate that a confession was formally taken from her on 29 July 1661. This process continued into August, when, on the seventh day of the month, she faced a trial in Edinburgh. The charges brought against Bessie were centered on her alleged participation in witches’ meetings, and her involvement was further corroborated by testimony from others caught in the same cycle of accusations; she was specifically named as an accomplice by both Bessie Flinker and Issobell Dodis during their own legal proceedings.
The judicial process moved with remarkable speed. Following the conclusion of her trial on 7 August 1661, during which a second confession was recorded, Bessie was found guilty of the charges brought against her. The sentence was carried out just two days later, on 9 August 1661, at the Common Green. In accordance with the standard practices of the era for such capital convictions, Bessie suffered the sentence of being strangled and burned. Her case, documented under reference C/EGD/387, remains a somber illustration of the procedural pace and the interconnected nature of the witch trials in the Lothians during this period.