In the early months of 1662, the judicial machinery of the Scottish state turned its attention toward Katharine Moore, a married woman residing on the island of Bute. The formal record of her case, identified under the archival reference C/EGD/1541, was officially opened on the 5th of February. At this time, Scotland was experiencing a significant intensification of witch-hunting activity, with local and central authorities increasingly preoccupied with the identification and prosecution of those suspected of maleficium or diabolical pacts.
Katharine was subsequently brought to trial, as documented in the records of the Justiciary Court (T/JO/1888). While the surviving documents confirm the specific dates and administrative classifications of her legal proceedings, they stand as silent witnesses to the gravity of the charges she faced within the community of Bute. As a married woman during this period of heightened scrutiny, Katharine found herself caught within a rigorous legal framework that sought to categorise her actions and associations, marking a pivotal moment in the historical record of her life and the broader social anxieties of 17th-century Scotland.