In the spring of 1597, the judicial machinery of Aberdeen turned its focus toward Janet Douglas, an inhabitant of the city. As the witch trials of late 16th-century Scotland reached a period of heightened intensity, Janet was brought before the authorities to answer for allegations of witchcraft under the jurisdiction of the Scottish courts. Her case, documented in the legal archives as C/JO/3114, formalised the transition from accusation to the processes of the Scottish criminal justice system during a time of significant socio-political upheaval.
Following the legal proceedings recorded in trial T/JO/1547, the outcome for Janet was absolute. Within the same year of her initial appearance in May, the verdict was carried out, and she was executed. Her case remains part of the extensive historical record of the 1563–1736 witch-hunt era, reflecting the grim severity with which the Scottish state and local kirk sessions addressed such charges during the final years of the 16th century.