The historical record concerning Katherine Alshenour, a resident of Aberdeen, remains enigmatic within the broader context of the Scottish witch trials of the late sixteenth century. Katherine is formally identified in archival documentation under case reference C/EGD/2139, dated June 4, 1597. This period was one of intense judicial scrutiny in Scotland, following the legislative framework established by the Witchcraft Act of 1563, which criminalized the practice of witchcraft and the consultation of practitioners.
Despite her inclusion in the scholarly record, Katherine does not appear in the extant printed primary sources that detail the proceedings of the Aberdeen trials. Consequently, while her name was captured by the administrative mechanisms of the era, there is no evidence of a formal trial, verdict, or subsequent sentence allocated to her. Her case serves as a poignant reminder of the gaps within historical archives, where individuals were sometimes flagged by the machinery of the state, yet left no further testimony to illuminate their specific circumstances or the nature of the accusations brought against them.