In the summer of 1629, the small market town of Duns in Berwickshire became the site of a legal struggle involving a local woman named Bessie Sleigh. Her case, documented under reference C/EGD/630, formally commenced on June 2nd, an event that would draw Bessie into the protracted machinery of the Scottish judicial system. While the surviving records do not detail the specific nature of the allegations brought against her, the legal proceedings initiated against Bessie were substantial enough to necessitate multiple trial entries, tracked under references T/LA/2218 and T/LA/677.
The tension surrounding Bessie’s case reached a visible peak on July 13th, 1629, when a formal denunciation was lodged against her by Alexander Hammilton. In the context of early modern Scottish law, such a denunciation often served as a critical step in declaring a subject a rebel for failing to appear or for non-compliance with the court’s directives. This act underscored the gravity of the situation for Bessie, marking a definitive moment in the legal pressure exerted upon her as the judicial authorities in Berwick pursued the charges brought to their attention.