In the autumn of 1631, Elspet McCan, a married woman residing in the settlement of Garrock within the parish of Inverkip, Renfrewshire, became the subject of a formal legal inquiry. On the 3rd of November, judicial proceedings were initiated against her under the reference number C/LA/3263. The records indicate that Elspet was drawn into the intensifying climate of the Scottish witch trials, a period when local communities and church authorities were increasingly vigilant in addressing accusations of maleficium and perceived supernatural involvement.
Following the initial registration of her case, Elspet was processed through the Renfrewshire judicial system, leading to the subsequent trial recorded as T/LA/1889. As was typical for proceedings in this region and era, the legal apparatus was set in motion to examine the allegations brought against her. While the records maintain a formal account of her arrest and trial, they capture a singular, precarious moment in the history of Garrock, marking Elspet’s involuntary entry into the preserved judicial archives of early modern Scotland.