In the summer of 1661, Janet Paistoun, a married woman residing in the burgh of Dalkeith, became central to the legal proceedings surrounding the witch hunts of that period. Her case, documented under reference C/EGD/377, was inextricably linked to a wider network of accusations emerging from the locality. Janet was frequently named as an accomplice by other women caught in the judicial process, specifically Marjory Wilson, Grissel Scot, Elizabeth Millar, and Agnes Lawson. These cross-implications drew her into an increasingly complex web of testimonies that culminated in formal charges, most notably the allegation of participating in a witches' meeting.
The judicial scrutiny directed toward Janet was intensive, as evidenced by a series of six recorded confessions taken over a concentrated period between July 18 and July 25, 1661. These declarations followed a sequence of legal examinations recorded in trial files T/LA/334 and T/LA/414. By the time of her final recorded deposition on July 25, Janet had provided the authorities with repeated testimonies regarding her involvement in the events for which she stood accused. Her narrative remains etched in the historical record as part of the broader administrative documentation of the 1661 trials in Edinburgh.