In the summer of 1650, the legal and religious authorities in Wigtownshire turned their scrutiny toward the parish of Old Luce, an area that would become the focal point of a broader investigation into local activities perceived as malefic. Among those brought before the court on July 1, 1650, was Issobell Murdoch. Her case, documented under reference C/JO/3018, situated her within a wider cohort of individuals drawn from both Old Luce and New Luce, suggesting that the Presbytery viewed these allegations as part of a collective concern rather than isolated incidents.
The trial proceedings, recorded as T/JO/1283, marked the formal progression of the case against Issobell. As part of a group of accused from the neighboring parishes, her experience reflects the intensive administrative efforts of the period to address reports of witchcraft through the structures of the local Presbytery. While the surviving records capture the administrative mechanics of her appearance before the court, they provide a window into the specific regional context of this 1650 inquiry and the formal process by which Issobell was compelled to answer for the charges laid against her.