In the spring of 1597, Janet Degeddes, a resident of Aberdeen, found herself drawn into the judicial machinery that gripped Scotland during the intense witch hunts of that decade. On 15 April 1597, her involvement in these legal proceedings was formally recorded under case number C/EGD/2144. At a time when the Scottish authorities were escalating their scrutiny of perceived supernatural interference in communal life, Janet was identified as a subject of interest by the local magistrates, marking the beginning of a process that would ultimately bring her before the court.
Following this initial recording, the legal progression of her case culminated in a trial, documented under reference T/JO/1494. This transition from a formal entry in the judicial archives to a specific trial indicates the gravity with which the Aberdeen authorities approached the accusations brought against her. While the archival records preserve the essential administrative facts of her engagement with the early modern Scottish legal system, they stand as a quiet testament to the lived experience of Janet during a period of profound social and religious upheaval in the burgh.