In July 1629, the legal records of Berwickshire captured the judicial proceedings against Katherine King, a resident of the market town of Duns. Her encounter with the justice system is formally preserved within the archives under case reference C/LA/3023, marking her place among the many individuals drawn into the ecclesiastical and civil investigations that characterized the period. On the 13th of July, the machinery of the Scottish courts formally addressed the accusations leveled against her, initiating the procedural sequence recorded as trial T/LA/1285.
As the legal process unfolded, Katherine was subjected to the scrutiny of local authorities, a common occurrence for those residing in the Border regions during the early seventeenth century. The documentation regarding Katherine provides a stark glimpse into the administrative reality of these proceedings; while the broader historical context of the 1563–1736 witch trials often involved complex testimonies and community grievances, her record remains a precise trace of a specific legal event. Through these surviving entries, the identity of Katherine is maintained within the historical ledger, documenting the moment her life in Duns intersected with the rigorous investigative practices of the era.