In May 1671, the legal machinery of Dumfries turned toward Janet McMurdoche, a married woman whose origins remained a point of confusion for local authorities. Though some contemporary notes suggested she may have hailed from Aird, her name did not appear on the official lists maintained by the local administration. Despite this ambiguity regarding her background, Janet was brought to trial on 15 May 1671, under case number C/EGD/588. The surviving records of the proceedings are incomplete, leaving the specific nature of the allegations against her obscured and raising the possibility that others may have been implicated alongside her in the judicial inquiry.
By 18 May 1671, the judicial process had concluded with a verdict of guilty. Following the court’s decision, the sentence was carried out with immediate finality. On the same day that the record of her case was formally closed, Janet was executed by the prescribed method of strangulation and burning. The swift transition from trial to the ultimate penalty serves as a stark reflection of the period’s legal atmosphere in Dumfries, marking the end of Janet’s life within only three days of her appearance before the court.