In the spring and summer of 1675, the legal machinery of the Scottish state focused its attention upon Jonet Hendrie, a widow residing in the burgh of Culross in Fife. Her involvement in the judicial process began well before her final appearance in the capital, with formal confessions recorded in the Tolbooth as early as 4 May. Throughout the ensuing months, Jonet’s case became deeply entwined with the broader web of local accusations, most notably when she was named as an accomplice by Elspeth Huiton during the proceedings of another trial.
The legal process against Jonet reached its conclusion in Edinburgh, where her trial commenced on 12 July 1675. Over the course of the following week, she provided multiple testimonies, with additional confessions documented on 12 July and again on 19 July, the same day her trial concluded. Found guilty of charges that included participation in a witches’ meeting, Jonet was sentenced to execution. On 29 July 1675, the sentence was carried out at the gallows located between Edinburgh and Leith, where she was strangled and burned in accordance with the judicial protocols of the period.