In September 1628, the legal machinery of the Scottish courts turned its attention to Katharine Leithame, a resident of the burgh of Selkirk. Her case, documented under reference C/EGD/1046, entered the judicial record on the 27th of that month. Like many women caught within the mechanisms of the early modern Scottish legal system, Katharine found herself identified as a subject of inquiry regarding charges of witchcraft, a process that necessitated the formal gathering of evidence and the mobilization of local authorities to oversee the proceedings.
Following this initial registration, the matter progressed toward a formal hearing. The record T/LA/504 confirms that the case advanced to the trial stage, marking a significant escalation in the legal proceedings brought against her. The transition from the identification of the accused to the convening of a trial highlights the bureaucratic rigor applied to such investigations in the seventeenth century, wherein the testimonies and allegations compiled against Katharine were subjected to the scrutiny of the courts in Selkirk.