In late December 1644, the legal machinery of seventeenth-century Scotland directed its attention toward Jonet Lockie, a resident of the parish of Carnwath in Lanarkshire. Her case, recorded in the Justiciary Court archives as C/EGD/1306, marks a singular point in the local history of the period. On the final day of the year, Jonet was formally processed within the judicial system, initiating a sequence of events that would see her moved from the local community to the rigors of a formal trial under the reference T/LA/1083.
The records provide a stark framework for Jonet’s experience, documenting the administrative progression of her case through the Scottish courts. As the judicial proceedings unfolded, Jonet became subject to the formal protocols governing accusations of witchcraft during this era. While the specific nature of the allegations remains contained within the technical documentation of the time, the transition of her case from initial record to formal trial highlights the gravity with which the authorities in Lanark treated her situation during that winter season.