In the late summer of 1649, an Edinburgh resident named Janet Thomesone found herself caught within the mechanisms of the Scottish judicial system regarding the charge of witchcraft. On August 8, 1649, legal proceedings were initiated against her, marking the formal commencement of a case that would ultimately be catalogued by historians as C/EGD/1983. While scholars have noted that Janet is likely distinct from another individual of the same name who appeared in records from 1633, her own encounter with the authorities remains a specific, documented entry in the broader annals of mid-seventeenth-century Scottish witch trials.
The evidentiary trail for Janet centers upon a confession, a central element of the judicial process during this period. According to the extant records, specifically under trial reference T/LA/1961, Janet provided a statement that was formally recorded by those presiding over her examination. This confession serves as the primary historical anchor for her case, detailing the circumstances that brought her before the court and capturing her own words as they were transcribed during the proceedings in Edinburgh.