On April 6, 1658, Jonnet Boyd, a resident of Hartcraige in the parish of Kilbride, Ayrshire, appeared before the court in Ayr to answer charges of witchcraft. Her legal proceedings were part of a broader judicial sweep that characterized the judicial climate of the mid-17th century in Scotland. The records indicate that Jonnet was brought to trial under the authority of the Justiciary Court, her name appearing on official porteous rolls that cataloged those summoned to answer for their alleged crimes.
The administrative trail left by Jonnet’s case reveals the methodical nature of the state’s involvement in such matters. Her summons was tied to a wider group of individuals, as evidenced by a mandate dated March 31, 1658, which required the full assembly of the year’s accused to appear before the court. By April 6, Jonnet stood formally listed among those facing trial, marking a significant moment in the documented judicial history of the region. Though the brevity of the surviving records leaves the specific nature of the allegations against her unstated, the presence of her name in the court rolls confirms that she was subject to the full rigor of the Scottish legal system during this period of heightened scrutiny.