In the summer of 1628, the legal apparatus of early modern Scotland turned its attention to Agnes Rankein, a resident of the coastal burgh of Prestonpans in Haddington. On the 3rd of July, the machinery of the judiciary formally documented her case under reference C/EGD/1017, marking the beginning of a process that would soon see her brought before the authorities.
Following this initial registration, Agnes was processed through the trial system, recorded under reference T/LA/165. The transition from her residence in the bustling port town to the formal setting of a trial reflects the standard procedures of the period, as the Kirk and secular courts collaborated to investigate accusations of witchcraft. While the records provide little detail regarding the specific charges leveled against Agnes, they stand as a permanent testament to the lived experience of a woman caught within the complex judicial landscape of 17th-century Scotland.