In the spring of 1662, the village of Auldearn in Nairn became the site of legal proceedings concerning Elspeth Makbeith. According to the judicial archives, specifically case record C/EGD/446, Elspeth was brought before the authorities on 14 April 1662. Her residence within the parish of Auldearn placed her in a region that, during the seventeenth century, was experiencing heightened scrutiny regarding matters of folk belief and the perceived influence of the supernatural in daily life.
The formal process initiated against Elspeth culminated in her appearance at trial under the designation T/LA/1835. As with many individuals processed through the Scottish legal system during the witch-hunting era, the archival documentation remains sparse, providing little narrative detail regarding the specific depositions or testimonies leveled against her. Her case serves as a singular, recorded instance of the administrative and judicial mechanisms active in the north of Scotland during the mid-seventeenth century.