Katherine Sands was a married woman residing in the burgh of Culross, Fife, whose life became inextricably linked to the legal mechanisms of the Scottish witch trials during the summer of 1675. Her case was shadowed by familial history; records indicate that her mother had been executed for witchcraft thirty-four years prior, a lineage that served as a foundational justification for the accusations brought against Katherine. The suspicion surrounding her was further compounded by the testimony of Elspeth Huiton, who identified Katherine as an accomplice in her own legal proceedings.
The judicial process against Katherine was rigorous and protracted. She provided a series of confessions—recorded at the Edinburgh Tolbooth as early as May 1675 and continuing through the trial proceedings in July—regarding her involvement in clandestine witches' meetings. Following the conclusion of her trial on July 19, 1675, the court delivered a verdict of guilty. Ten days later, on July 29, 1675, Katherine was taken to the gallows located between Edinburgh and Leith, where she was executed by being strangled and burned.