In the late summer of 1597, the burgh of Kirkcaldy in Fife became the setting for the legal proceedings against Janet Bennett. As a married woman residing within the burgh, Janet was drawn into the reach of the local judiciary during a period when the Scottish legal system was increasingly sensitive to allegations of maleficium. On August 17, 1597, her name was formally recorded in the archives under case number C/EGD/2558, marking the commencement of the official interest in her conduct.
The surviving documentation regarding Janet’s experience is brief but precise. Rather than an immediate incarceration or a full-scale trial, the records indicate that she was cautioned to appear before the court. This directive, verified by historian Julian Goodare through his examination of the burgh court book, highlights the procedural mechanisms utilized by the Kirkcaldy magistrates to manage those suspected of involvement in witchcraft. While the broader context of the 1597 witch hunt in Scotland often involved intense scrutiny, the record for Janet remains defined by this specific requirement to answer to the court’s authority.