The archival documentation regarding Katherine Shaw, a resident of Kirkcaldy in Fife, remains preserved under reference number C/EGD/2474. Within the broader context of the Scottish witch trials that spanned from 1563 to 1736, Katherine stands as one of many individuals whose lives were intersected by the legal mechanisms of the period. While the specific details of her interactions with the Kirkcaldy ecclesiastical and civil authorities remain constrained by the surviving records, the documentation serves as a formal entry point into the judicial scrutiny she faced during this era.
Because historical research into this specific case has noted the limitations of existing secondary references, Katherine remains a figure defined by the sparse administrative footprint of the Fife courts. Her case highlights the bureaucratic nature of the witch trials, where individuals were identified, recorded, and subjected to the rigorous legal and theological standards of early modern Scotland. Through the preservation of her name in the legal register, Katherine occupies a distinct place in the history of Kirkcaldy’s community life during a time of intense societal and religious upheaval.