In the summer of 1649, legal proceedings were initiated against Cathrin Vas, a woman residing in the parish of Corstorphine, situated on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Recorded under case file C/JO/3099, the inquiry into Cathrin’s activities took place during a period of intense judicial scrutiny regarding allegations of maleficium across the Scottish Lowlands. While the specific nature of the accusations brought against her remains confined to the administrative records of the time, the initiation of her case highlights the local mechanisms of justice that characterized the mid-seventeenth century.
On July 22, 1649, the formal process against Cathrin moved toward the courtroom, as noted in the trial record T/JO/1524. The transition from an initial case file to a designated trial document reflects the procedural progression typical of the era’s witch trials. By documenting her name, residence, and the dates of these legal actions, the archives preserve the moment Cathrin was drawn into the Scottish judicial system, providing a stark historical marker of the events that transpired in Corstorphine during that volatile year.