Anable Steven resided in the west end of Queensferry, within the parish of Dalmeny, during a period of heightened judicial scrutiny regarding witchcraft in Scotland. In the spring of 1649, her circumstances drew the formal attention of the local authorities, leading to her inclusion in the judicial records of the era under the designation C/JO/2853. As a woman living in this coastal community, Anable became the subject of a legal process that would eventually necessitate a trial.
On 4 April 1649, the formal proceedings against Anable were initiated, marking the beginning of her documented interaction with the Scottish legal system. Her case was subsequently processed under trial record T/JO/531, which situated her within the broader wave of witch-hunting activities that permeated the region of Linlithgow during that year. The historical record provides these specific administrative markers, documenting her transition from a resident of the parish to a defendant in a formal trial.