In the spring of 1662, Elsept Gilbert, a resident of Leathinbar in the parish of Auldearn, Nairn, became the subject of legal scrutiny regarding allegations of witchcraft. The records of the case, indexed under C/EGD/461, formally identify Elsept as a female subject caught within the sweeping judicial machinery that defined mid-seventeenth-century Scotland. Her appearance in the historical record coincides with a period of heightened intensity in witch-hunting across the Highlands and North-East, as local authorities sought to address perceived supernatural incursions within their jurisdictions.
Following these initial proceedings, the legal process moved toward a formal hearing. Under the reference T/LA/1850, documentation survives regarding the trial of Elsept, which took place on 14 April 1662. The records from this date mark the intersection of Elsept’s life in the small settlement of Leathinbar with the rigorous inquisitorial procedures of the early modern Scottish courts, providing a brief but significant trace of the judicial efforts undertaken in Nairn to address the charges brought against her.