In the early seventeenth century, the judicial mechanisms of Orkney addressed the case of Agnes Tulloch, who was brought before the Sheriff Court on June 13, 1616. The surviving records of this proceeding, indexed under case reference C/EGD/2223 and trial reference T/LA/1426, document a moment of significant legal scrutiny within the island’s administrative history. Agnes appeared before the court during a period when the Scottish legal system was increasingly formalising its approach to allegations of maleficium, reflecting the broader social anxieties regarding witchcraft that characterised the era.
Beyond the date and location of her appearance, the records offer a formal account of Agnes’s interaction with the Orcadian justice system. On that single day in June, the Sheriff Court oversaw the proceedings that would determine her place within the local legal framework. As an individual navigating the complexities of the 1616 court session, Agnes remains a distinct figure in the historiography of early modern Orkney, her case serving as a primary point of reference for researchers investigating the practical application of Scottish witchcraft laws in the northern isles.