In the spring of 1662, the legal machinery of the Scottish witch hunts descended upon the parish of Auldearn, focusing its attention on Grisall Sinklar, a married woman residing in the settlement of Leathen, Nairn. On the 14th of April, her name was entered into the official record under case number C/EGD/467, marking the beginning of a formal investigation into allegations of witchcraft. At a time when the hysteria surrounding supposed diabolical pacts and maleficium was reaching a fever pitch across the region, Grisall found herself caught within the gravity of the judicial proceedings that had engulfed the local community.
The subsequent trial, documented under reference T/LA/1856, proceeded following her initial accusation. While the specific nature of the charges brought against her remains confined to these archival notations, the inclusion of Grisall in the judicial records of 1662 places her firmly within the broader context of the Scottish witch trials. As a married woman in Leathen, her life was interrupted by these state-sanctioned inquiries, which sought to address perceived spiritual and social transgressions through the strict application of early modern criminal law.