In the autumn of 1678, Bessie Gourlie, a married midwife residing in the village of Fala near Edinburgh, found herself at the centre of an intensive legal investigation. Her case, designated C/EGD/696, began to gather momentum throughout the summer, evidenced by initial confessions recorded on 9 July 1678. As a woman of lower socioeconomic standing, Bessie was drawn into the broader judicial scrutiny of the period, finding her reputation and liberty irreparably compromised by the testimonies of other accused women, including Marion Veitch, Isobell Eliot, and Sarah Cranston, all of whom mentioned her during their own legal proceedings.
The judicial process against Bessie culminated in November, beginning with a formal confession recorded on 4 November 1678 in Edinburgh. Following a period of procedural adjournment, the court reconvened on 6 November 1678 to deliver a verdict on the charge of participating in a witches’ meeting. Having been found guilty, Bessie was sentenced to execution. The final act of her case was carried out at the gallows located between Edinburgh and Leith, where she was subjected to the standard sentence of strangulation followed by burning.