In November 1649, the judicial machinery of the Scottish kirk and state turned its attention toward Janet Mark, a widow residing in the settlement of Netherude, within the parish of Stobo, Peebles. Her case, documented under the reference C/EGD/2008, emerged during a period of heightened concern regarding the supernatural in early modern Scotland. As a widow, Janet occupied a vulnerable social position, often leaving women in her demographic more susceptible to the localized anxieties and communal suspicions that frequently precipitated formal accusations of witchcraft.
Following her initial entry into the judicial record on the 6th of November, her case proceeded toward a formal legal examination, cataloged under the trial record T/LA/2025. While the specific charges brought against Janet remain confined to the formal legal proceedings of the Peebles jurisdiction, her experience serves as a documented instance of how seventeenth-century authorities managed allegations of maleficium. Her journey through the legal system reflects the rigorous, bureaucratic nature of the Scottish witch trials, where the intersection of civil and ecclesiastical oversight sought to formalize the response to perceived spiritual threats within the parish of Stobo.