On November 14, 1664, legal proceedings were initiated in the burgh of Dumfries against a woman named Janet Burnes. Recorded under the reference number C/EGD/2409, the case marks a specific moment in the broader history of the Scottish witch trials, which spanned the period between 1563 and 1736. As a resident of Dumfries, Janet was brought before the local authorities during a time when the legal and social mechanisms for addressing allegations of maleficium and diabolical pacts were deeply embedded in the administrative framework of the town.
While the primary documentation for this case remains focused on the administrative record of the charge, the entry regarding Janet provides a clear temporal and geographical anchor for her involvement in the judicial system of the mid-seventeenth century. The records confirm that the case was formally logged on that mid-November day, placing her within the context of the intense legal scrutiny that defined this era in Scotland. Though further details regarding the specific nature of the allegations against Janet are not preserved within this particular entry, the record serves as a testament to the structured, bureaucratic nature of the witch-hunting process in the post-Reformation burghs of Scotland.