In the autumn of 1679, legal proceedings were initiated in Haddington against Janet, a woman of lower socioeconomic status who served as a *servitrix* to William Hunter in the area of Laudersdale. Her case, documented under reference C/LA/2952, appeared on the Haddington porteous roll of delinquent dittays—a list of formal indictments—on September 8, 1679. The accusations brought against her followed the standard legal formulae of the period, charging her with the grave crimes of witchcraft, sorcery, and necromancy. Furthermore, the charges included the serious allegation of the renunciation of her baptism and the total surrender of her body and soul to the Devil.
The judicial process moved with relative haste during that month. On September 9, 1679, Janet was subject to a trial in Haddington regarding these dittays. However, the records indicate that the legal outcome was not a standard conviction or acquittal; instead, by September 12, 1679, she was officially declared a fugitive. This status effectively removed her from the immediate reach of the court, marking the final entry in the documented account of her case.