In the spring of 1662, the legal mechanisms of early modern Scotland converged upon Janet Finlay, a married woman residing in the settlement of Earlfeet within the parish of Auldearn, Nairn. On the 14th of April, Janet was formally processed under the case reference C/EGD/470, marking the beginning of a judicial scrutiny that would eventually culminate in her trial, recorded under reference T/LA/1859. As a resident of a region deeply affected by the panics of the mid-seventeenth century, her appearance before the authorities reflects the intensified focus on local inhabitants that characterised the witch trials of the period.
The archival records offer a stark profile of the proceedings initiated against Janet. While the surviving documentation provides the essential logistical framework of her case—identifying her marital status, specific location, and the dates associated with her legal progression—it leaves the precise nature of the accusations unstated. Her journey from the community of Earlfeet to the courtroom remains a testament to the administrative rigour of the Scottish legal system during the 1660s, a decade that saw a significant concentration of witch-hunting activity across the Highlands and the northeast.