In late February 1650, Jeane Craufurd, a resident of Renfrew, found herself subject to the formal legal machinery of the Scottish witch trials. Her case, documented under the reference C/EGD/1360, emerged during a period of intense judicial scrutiny regarding allegations of maleficium and diabolical pacts. On the 26th of February, the procedural apparatus of the time commenced the initial documentation of her encounter with the authorities, marking the beginning of a legal ordeal that would eventually lead to the proceedings recorded in trial reference T/LA/1100.
The transition of Jeane from a local resident to a subject of the high court reflected the gravity with which the Scottish judiciary handled such accusations during the mid-seventeenth century. Throughout the ensuing trial, the specific testimonies and arguments presented against her were weighed within the rigorous, albeit complex, framework of the period's legal statutes. By following the path from her initial documentation in Renfrew to the eventual trial proceedings, the historical record provides a concise view of the bureaucratic and judicial processes that defined the experience of those accused of witchcraft in this era.