In September 1649, Agnes Lauson (also recorded as Lasoun) became the subject of a legal inquiry in the burgh of Queensferry, Linlithgow. As reflected in the judicial records indexed under case C/JO/3064, the process moved swiftly from accusation to formal trial, designated as T/JO/1440. During this period of intense scrutiny, Agnes found herself at the center of the local judicial apparatus, reflecting the broader administrative climate of mid-seventeenth-century Scotland, which saw a marked increase in the prosecution of those suspected of maleficium.
Central to the proceedings against Agnes was the production of a confession. While the specific nature of the testimony provided remains part of the archival record, the presence of this document was a defining element of the case, serving as the evidentiary foundation for the judicial process. Having provided this confession, Agnes remained the focus of the court in Queensferry as the mechanisms of the law, as they existed in 1649, were applied to the details of her case.