Elizabeth Scotland, a widowed woman of middling socioeconomic status, was a resident of Bo’ness who had previously spent twenty-three years living at Bonhard in Carneth. By late 1679, her life was marked by the prospect of a new beginning, as she was preparing to remarry. However, this period of transition was abruptly interrupted by her implication in legal proceedings regarding witchcraft. Elizabeth was cited as an accomplice by a significant number of individuals, including Margaret Hammilton, Bessie Gibb, Jonet Stewart, Grissel Croudie, Jonet Colquhone, and William Craw, all of whom situated her within the context of alleged witches' meetings.
On November 24, 1679, while held in the Tolbooth, Elizabeth provided a formal confession to the authorities. Despite the use of torture—though the specific methods employed remain unrecorded—she eventually retracted this statement. The legal process continued into the following year, with the formal case against her being registered on March 27, 1680. Elizabeth’s ordeal reflects the interconnected nature of the witch trials in the Linlithgow area, where the accusations of one individual frequently necessitated the investigation of many others within the community.
