In the spring of 1699, the city of Glasgow was gripped by the alarming testimony of Margaret Murdoch, the young daughter of John Murdoch of Craigtown in the parish of Govan. Claiming to be tormented by the influence of witches, Margaret identified a multitude of individuals as being responsible for her suffering, a list that included Jean Greenlaw. Jean, a woman of middling socioeconomic status and the wife of a local maltman, soon found herself thrust into the center of a volatile ecclesiastical and legal investigation. During this period of intense scrutiny, she was examined by a delegation comprised of a doctor and several ministers, whose task was to discern the presence of supernatural culpability.
Despite the gravity of these accusations, the historical record regarding Jean remains inconclusive. On April 22, 1699, five individuals—two men and three women—formally testified against her in Glasgow, yet there is no evidence that the legal system ever transitioned from these witness statements to a formal trial. While Jean was clearly suspected and brought under the heavy gaze of both the church and the medical community, the documents do not indicate that she was ever proceeded against in a court of law. Her ultimate fate remains lost to history, leaving her experience as a significant example of the precarious position occupied by those named during the panic sparked by Margaret’s claims.