In 1661, Jonet Miller, a 51-year-old resident of Auld Liston in Kirkliston, faced the legal machinery of the Scottish witch trials. Her ordeal was long-standing and complex, originating from accusations that stretched back to 1650, when she was first named as a witch. The charges against her were multifaceted, encompassing the alleged destruction of dairy property and, more gravely, claims of attending meetings with the devil five years prior to her trial. Her reputation had been solidified through the testimony of several others accused of witchcraft during this period, including Marion Craufurd, Helen Samuel, William Knox, Christian Black, Margaret Tasker, Janet Campbell, and Florentia Sym, all of whom identified Jonet as a member of their circle.
The legal proceedings against Jonet were marked by significant inconsistencies. While a record indicates that she made a confession in the church on August 15, 1659, she retracted this statement only eleven days later. Her case eventually reached the High Court in Edinburgh on August 20, 1661. Unusual for the period, she was tried alongside a group of individuals from a different geographical area, with an assize panel composed primarily of residents from Edinburgh rather than her home parish of Kirkliston. Following these proceedings, the court returned a verdict of not guilty. Although subsequent documentation indicates that an order for a further trial was issued for September 20, 1661, historical records suggest that this final proceeding likely never occurred.
