In the early months of 1680, Bessie Gibb, a married woman of middling socioeconomic status residing in the regality of Borrowstounness (Bo'ness), found herself drawn into the judicial machinery of the Scottish witch trials. On January 21, 1680, her legal proceedings reached a critical juncture in Edinburgh, where her case was processed under the official designation C/EGD/700. During this period, such an appearance in the capital represented a significant intervention by the central authorities in the affairs of the Linlithgow region.
The records for Bessie’s trial (T/LA/1456 and T/LA/849) provide a rare moment of procedural clarity amidst the often-turbulent accounts of seventeenth-century witchcraft accusations. Rather than facing execution or prolonged imprisonment, the resolution of her case was marked by the posting of caution—a legal guarantee provided by a third party to ensure her future good behavior and appearance if required. Following this, she was released, marking the conclusion of her involvement with the Edinburgh court system on that same day.