In the spring of 1614, the legal machinery of the Scottish state focused its attention upon Helen Erskine, a woman of upper socioeconomic status residing in Logie, Perth. As the daughter of the heir apparent of Logie, Helen occupied a position of significant social standing within her community. However, her life took a precarious turn when she became entangled in the judicial investigations of the period. By the time her case reached the High Court in Edinburgh on 22 June 1614, her reputation had been deeply compromised by the testimonies of others.
The proceedings against Helen were not isolated, as she was explicitly named as an accomplice in the witchcraft trials of several other individuals, including Gilbert Campbell, Jonet Irving, George Kirk, and Johnne Kirk. These collective accusations culminated in a verdict of guilty, leading to her execution. Her case, formally recorded as C/EGD/870, remained a matter of administrative concern until 22 March 1615, when the final documentation regarding the trial was concluded. Her story remains a stark illustration of how, during this era, accusations of witchcraft could traverse social strata, drawing even the well-born into the reaches of the capital's judicial system.
