Trial Details
T/LA/40 Agnes Finnie
- Name of the accused
- Agnes Finnie
- Associated case
- C/EGD/183 (6/3/1645)
- Trial process type
- Central Court
| associated trials | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trial reference | accused | trial type | trial year | trial place |
| no recorded trials | ||||
Pre-trial actions
| commissions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| commission body | type | date | seal | notes |
| no recorded commission | ||||
| previous commissions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| commission body | date | |||
| no recorded prior commission | ||||
| appeals | ||
|---|---|---|
| central authority | reason | appeal date |
| None | None | |
| complaints | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| type | date of complaint | lodged at | appeal date | complainent | involvement |
| Suspect's | 6/11/1644 | Privy Council | |||
| move to higher legal authority | |
|---|---|
| moved to | date of move |
| no recorded move to higher legal authority | |
| denunciations | |
|---|---|
| denuncation date | dated |
| 8/7/1644 | None |
| imprisonments | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| incarceration date | central trial imprison | prison | location | moving |
| 7/1644 | yes | Tolbooth | Edinburgh | no |
| tortures | |
|---|---|
| date of torture | torture type |
| no recorded tortures | |
| ordeals | |
|---|---|
| date of ordeal | ordeal type |
| no recorded ordeals | |
| confessions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| central trial confession | date | location | notes |
| no recorded confessions | |||
other information
- Pre-trial notes
- she lodged a complaint against Harry Moreisoun at the potterrow port for falsely accusing her. The Privy Council ordered him and the bailie and provost of Edinburgh to compear before the council 12/11/1644. 9 and 11 Nov, 1644 all the bailies and the provost of Edinburgh pluss Harry received their summons.
- watched?
- no
- watch date
- no information
- arrested?
- yes
- arrest date
- no information
- fled?
- no
- date absconded
- no information
- action dropped?
- no
- action dropped date
- no information
- action dropped by
- no information
- trial action body
- no information
- confronting suspects?
- no
Trial phase
- trial date
- 18/12/1644
- trial place
- Tolbooth
place of trial
- settlement
- Edinburgh
- parish
- no information
- presbytery
- no information
- county
- no information
- burgh
- no information
verdict
- verdict
- Guilty
- defence
- yes
- female accusers
- 0
- male accusers
- 0
- recorded as high status?
- no
- order for central judiciary trial
- yes
- judiciary trial date
- no information
- circuit court (mixed central and local)
- no
- circuit name
- no information
- local court with central representatives
- no
- trial notes
- Court met first on 11/12/1644 but was postponed because the defence advocates had not yet spoken to Finnie. Complicated legal resoning and defence pleadings. The assize was in the court room clamoring the day before being sworn in. Trial lasted 2 days. The assize called witnesses extra judicially. Jury deliberated till 8/2/1645.
| persons associated with the trial | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| name | title | office | occupation | involvement | witchpricker? | notes |
| Thomas Hope | Sir of Craighall | Lord's Advocate | advocate | Prosecutor | no | Involved in cases and trials in 1628-34, 1643 and 1645. |
| John Nisbet | Mr | None | advocate | Defence advocate | no | Involved in trial in 1645. Could be the same as LA.619. |
| John Lawtie | Mr | None | advocate | Defence advocate | no | Involved in trial in 1645. |
| Jean Bodin | None | None | Author | Demonologist | no | Noted political writer who wrote a much used book on demonology. Cited in 1629 and 1645. |
| Moses | None | None | None | Cited authority | no | Cited Ch. 18 verse 10 in 1645. |
| William Perkins | None | None | Author | Demonologist | no | Demonologist - wrote 'Discourse of the Damned Art of Witchcraft'. Cited in trial in 1645. |
| MacClure | None | None | physician | Expert Witness | no | Involved in trial in 1645. |
| Sibbet | None | None | physician | Expert Witness | no | Involved in trial in 1645. |
| Ormlandis | None | None | Author | Cited authority | no | De Sortilegis Ubique. Cited in trial in 1645. |
| Patrick Trotter | None | None | surgeon | Expert Witness | no | Involved in trial in 1645. |
| Mungo Law | Mr | Moderator of Presbytery | minister | Prosecutor | no | Involved in cases in 1645. Moved from Dysart to 2nd charge at Old Greyfriars in Edinburgh. Member of Commission of Assembly 1644-9 and taken prisoner. Returned to charge in 1653 and died in 1660. |
| Alexander Colville | Mr | Justice Depute | Advocate | Expert Witness | no | Moderator of presbytery. Involved in cases in 1629-62. |
| Patrick Henderson | Mr | Clerk | None | Expert Witness | no | Involved in 1645. |
| John Dickson | None | None | bailie | Chancellor | no | Involved in trial in 1645. |
| John Oliphant | Mr | substitute Lord's Advocate | advocate | Prosecutor | no | Involved in cases/trials in 1629, 1630, 1634 and 1645. |
Post-trial phase
- sentence
- Execution
- executed?
- yes
- execution date
- 6/3/1645
- execution place
- Castle Hill
- execution method
- Strangle & Burn
- post trial notes
- None
| other named witches | ||
|---|---|---|
| name | trial link | accused link |
| None | None | |
| Isobell Young | T/LA/1 | A/EGD/149 |
| None | None | |
Mentioned as a witch
| mentioned as a witch | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| type | name | mention date | fate | linked trialdate | trial link | notes |
| no mentions | ||||||