In the spring of 1597, the judicial machinery of Aberdeen turned its attention toward Katherine McFerries, a married woman residing in the settlement of Auchmeran. Her case, documented under the reference C/EGD/2156, unfolded during a period of intense scrutiny regarding witchcraft within the region. Historical records suggest a possible link between her identity and that of a Katherine Fergus, an association that underscores the administrative complexities often encountered when tracing individuals through the extant legal registers of late sixteenth-century Scotland.
On the 25th of April 1597, Katherine was brought to trial in Aberdeen. The proceedings concluded with a verdict of guilty. Following the swift customs of the period, the sentence was carried out on the very day of the trial. Katherine was executed by the method of strangulation before being burned, a sequence of events that marked the final entry in her legal record.