In December 1649, the legal records of Lanark mark the judicial proceedings involving Janet Bowis. During this period of heightened concern regarding witchcraft across the Scottish Lowlands, Janet was brought before the authorities to answer for allegations brought against her. The documentation, catalogued under reference C/EGD/13, formalizes her presence within the seventeenth-century court system, reflecting the meticulous administrative processes that governed such cases during the mid-century witch-hunts.
As a resident of Lanark, Janet became the subject of an inquiry that remains a significant, if brief, entry in the historical archive. While historical research into this specific file has not extended to the printed secondary sources referenced by scholars such as Christina Larner, the record itself serves as a testament to the legal scrutiny Janet faced. Through this official documentation, her life intersected with the formal mechanisms of the Scottish state, preserving her name within the complex history of early modern judicial practice.