In June 1630, Katharine Major, a resident of the Abbey of Dundrennan in the parish of Rerrick, Kirkcudbright, became the subject of formal legal scrutiny regarding allegations of witchcraft. The records of the Justiciary Court, indexed under case reference C/EGD/1229, indicate that her proceedings were initiated on the 17th of June. At this time, the legal framework governing such accusations in Scotland was heavily influenced by both civil authority and the intensifying religious climate of the early 17th century, which often brought individuals residing near ecclesiastical sites under particular local observation.
Following the initial legal action, the case proceeded to the trial stage under the reference T/LA/664. As the judicial process unfolded, Katharine was compelled to answer for the charges brought against her within the jurisdiction of the Kirkcudbrightshire courts. While the specific nature of the evidence presented against her remains implicit in the broader patterns of seventeenth-century Scottish jurisprudence, the documentation confirms that her case moved from its initial recording to a formal trial, reflecting the formal administrative steps taken by local officials and judicial authorities during this period of legal history.