In May 1683, Janet Fisher, a married woman residing in the settlement of Garsmillies in Ayr, found herself drawn into the machinery of the Scottish judicial system during a period of intense scrutiny regarding witchcraft. Her involvement is recorded within the legal archives under case reference C/EGD/709, a document that highlights the administrative path many accused individuals followed during this era. Janet’s proximity to the legal process suggests that the suspicion directed toward her was significant enough to initiate formal proceedings, marking her as one of the many figures caught in the complex intersection of local community tensions and the rigorous mechanisms of the law.
Following her appearance on a porteous roll—a list of those summoned to face trial for crimes ranging from theft to witchcraft—Janet underwent a formal trial (T/LA/1792) that same month. In the high-stakes environment of a seventeenth-century courtroom, the proceedings concluded with a verdict of not guilty. Unlike many who faced similar accusations during the volatile decades between 1563 and 1736, Janet was acquitted, allowing her to exit the judicial process and return to her life in Garsmillies without the finality of a conviction.