In the spring of 1697, the burgh of Renfrew became the epicenter of a concentrated judicial inquiry into the activities of those suspected of diabolical pacts. Among the individuals drawn into the orbit of these legal proceedings was Janet Waugh, a resident of the town whose name appears in the official court records on 13 April of that year. Her inclusion in the archival documents is specifically tied to the broader Renfrewshire witch trials of 1697, a period marked by intense scrutiny of local inhabitants following a series of public allegations.
The surviving documentation, registered under case C/LA/2965 and trial T/LA/1206, provides limited but significant evidence of Janet’s involvement in this legal process. While the brief entries do not delineate the specific accusations or testimonies leveled against her, they confirm that Janet was formally identified and recorded in connection with the escalating judicial actions of the time. Her presence in these administrative registers stands as a stark testament to the reach of the Scottish courts during the final major wave of witch-hunting in the seventeenth century.