In the late spring of 1591, the legal machinery of the Scottish state focused its attention upon Cristine Kerington, a woman residing in the burgh of Haddington. Her case, documented under reference C/EGD/100, emerged during a period of heightened judicial activity regarding the crime of witchcraft. On the 8th of May, Cristine was formally processed within the administrative and legal framework of the time, marking the beginning of a process that would subject her to the scrutiny of the local and ecclesiastical authorities.
Following her initial apprehension, Cristine was transferred to the jurisdiction of the court for trial, designated as T/LA/973. In accordance with the judicial practices of early modern Scotland, the proceedings against her required that she face the specific charges brought forward by her accusers. While the surviving records capture the administrative necessity of her trial, they serve as the definitive account of her encounter with the law, tracing her transition from a resident of Haddington to an individual caught within the gravity of a formal prosecution for witchcraft.