In the spring of 1662, Helen Lauder of Dalcove was brought before the authorities to answer for the charge of witchcraft. Her legal journey began in March of that year, as documented in case file C/EGD/1695. During this period of heightened judicial scrutiny in Scotland, the administrative process moved with notable urgency; following her initial accusation, Helen was processed through the regional legal system, culminating in the formal recording of her confession later that same month.
The trial proceedings, cataloged under record T/JO/895, formalised the transition of Helen from an accused resident of Dalcove to a subject of the high court. By the fourth of April, 1662, the legal mechanisms concerning her case had progressed significantly. While the specific nature of the allegations remains contained within the laconic entries of the judicial registers, these records document the systematic path Helen traversed through the Scottish legal apparatus during a time when such trials were a recurring feature of communal and state life.