In June 1719, the records of the presbytery in Thurso, Caithness, document the emergence of a legal case involving a woman named Jannet Pyper. While the archival documentation surrounding this period often reveals the fragmentary nature of local proceedings, the entry catalogued under C/EGD/2086 identifies Jannet as a central figure in a broader communal inquiry into witchcraft. These ecclesiastical and judicial records highlight the intersection of local religious governance and the formal processes of the Scottish criminal justice system during the final decades of the witch-hunting era.
The specific details concerning Jannet remain sparse, reflecting the often ambiguous status of suspects in surviving presbytery papers. Although the records note that individual names were occasionally omitted in broader administrative accounts, the documentation specifically links Jannet to the events unfolding in Thurso. Alongside the primary case file, the existence of cross-referenced records—such as those designated C/JO/3011 and the trial proceedings T/JO/1274—underscores the gravity with which the authorities approached these accusations. For Jannet, these documents represent the bureaucratic framework of a trial that sought to adjudicate the perceived spiritual and social transgressions of the day.