In the early summer of 1591, legal proceedings were initiated in the Canongate district of Edinburgh against a woman identified in the court records as Jonet Cunninghame. By the time her case reached the judicial system, Jonet was already a figure of long-standing suspicion within her community, described in contemporary accounts as an "old indicted witch" with a history of accusations spanning eighteen years. Her social standing was among the lower tiers of society, and official documentation took care to clarify her status, explicitly noting that despite a common nickname of "Lady Bothwell," she held no noble title and bore no familial connection to the Earl of Bothwell.
The formal prosecution of Jonet, recorded under case file C/LA/2916, culminated in the trial proceedings registered as T/LA/998 on June 9, 1591. The records provide little insight into the specific depositions or testimony brought against her, focusing instead on the procedural aspects of her indictment. Her case serves as a distinct example of the longevity of witchcraft allegations in late sixteenth-century Scotland, where a reputation for supernatural involvement could persist for nearly two decades before culminating in a definitive appearance before the court.