Janet Boyd, a servant residing in the parish of Govan, found her life upended in the spring of 1699 when she became a primary target of a series of dramatic accusations. Janet was employed in the household of John Murdoch of Craigtoun, the father of a young girl named Margaret Murdoch. During this period, Margaret fell into frequent and distressing fits, during which she publicly denounced numerous individuals as witches responsible for her torments. These declarations, made under the duress of her physical condition, became the catalyst for legal proceedings against those in her father’s circle, including Janet.
The legal journey that followed was marked by procedural instability. Official witness testimony was formally gathered in Glasgow on 21 and 22 April 1699, primarily from observers who had seen the girl’s fits and heard her accusations firsthand. While a trial was initially scheduled for Glasgow in May 1699, the proceedings did not move forward as planned. The matter remained pending until March 1700, when Janet was brought before the High Court in Edinburgh. Ultimately, the court chose to desert the diet—effectively dismissing the case against her—and Janet was released, bringing her ordeal to a close.