In the summer of 1649, Jonet Lodge became the focus of a series of judicial proceedings in the burgh of Dysart, Fife, as part of a wider investigation into witchcraft that swept through the community. The legal processes against her, recorded under reference C/JO/3071, suggest that the accusations were communal and interconnected, as the suspicion directed toward one individual rippled outward to ensnare others. During this period, the mechanisms of the Kirk session played a central role in managing these anxieties, and by July 1649, Jonet had provided a formal confession to the authorities.
The scrutiny surrounding Jonet intensified as her name was repeatedly invoked by other women—Elspet Symsone, Jonet Burt, Katherine Potter, and Jonet Boswell—all of whom denounced her during their own examinations. Her case was further complicated by the involvement of a "pricker," an itinerant professional tasked with identifying individuals believed to be witches, who implicated two additional unnamed persons as the investigation expanded. By August 1649, the judicial process reached its conclusion; the records of the Kirk session formally noted that Jonet had been *fyllied*, or found guilty, of the charges brought against her, which specifically included attendance at a witches’ meeting.