On October 25, 1577, the legal machinery of the Scottish courts turned toward Agnes Ross, a woman of lower socioeconomic status residing in the region of Ross. Serving in a domestic capacity, Agnes was employed within the household of Katherine Ross, the Lady Fowlis. In the context of the late sixteenth century, the proximity of a servant to a figure of such noble standing as Lady Fowlis often placed individuals in a precarious position, as the social and political tensions surrounding the household could frequently manifest in formal legal scrutiny.
The documentation of her case, recorded under the reference C/JO/3347, highlights the formalization of these accusations during a period when the state was increasingly centralizing its control over matters of perceived spiritual and moral transgression. Following the initial record of the case, Agnes was processed through the judicial system, with her subsequent trial identified under the archival reference T/JO/2139. These records serve as the sole extant markers of her encounter with the authorities during this formative era of the Scottish witch trials.