Isobell Eliot

Isobel Elliot (c. 1651 – 1678), sometimes called Isobell Eliot, was a woman accused of witchcraft from Peaston, near Ormiston in East Lothian. She was tried as a witch in Edinburgh during 1678, and executed on 20 September 1678 at Peaston by being strangled and burnt at the stake.

At her time of death, Elliot was thought to have been around 27 years old. Elliot confessed to the minister of Ormiston, John Sinclair, that many nights she and other witches had wanted to get inside his house and yard, but the Devil had told her that he could not be attacked. alt=Image of the village of Peaston, a stone cottage and a sign saying 'peaston'. Peaston village, near Ormiston in East Lothian.Members of the local nobility and community requested permission to hold a local trial for Elliot in 1678, which was refused. However, it was eventually escalated to a central trial, in Edinburgh. There were three trials recorded for Elliot, taking place in June and September 1678 with a confession being obtained on the 13 September.

Death and legacy Elliot was among the four supposed witches, out of the thirteen sentenced, who were taken to Peaston to be executed. However, this is unlikely as Heriot was never recorded as being considered a witch by her contemporaries, unlike Elliot.