In the late winter of 1629, the legal apparatus of the Scottish burgh of Selkirk turned its attention toward Janet Minto. Recorded in the judicial archives under case reference C/EGD/1087, the proceedings against her reflect the administrative rigour applied to allegations of witchcraft during the seventeenth century. On 24 February 1629, Janet was formally brought before the local authorities, marking the beginning of a process that would ultimately necessitate the assembly of a formal trial, indexed in the records as T/LA/651.
The documentation surrounding Janet highlights the gravity with which the Scottish courts approached such accusations. As a resident of Selkirk, her case became part of the broader legal landscape of early modern Scotland, where ecclesiastical and secular jurisdictions often converged to investigate suspected malevolence. Following the initial registration of her case in February, the judicial trajectory transitioned into the formal trial phase, documenting the procedural steps taken by the court to address the charges leveled against her.