In the spring of 1636, the legal machinery of Caithness turned its attention to a married woman known as William Thornar. Her case, recorded under the reference C/LA/3328 and dated March 31, 1636, emerged during a period when the Scottish courts were increasingly preoccupied with the investigation of maleficium. The circumstances surrounding William were notable for their domestic implications, as she was not the only member of her household to face scrutiny; the records indicate that her husband was also accused of witchcraft alongside her, marking the proceedings as a family-centered inquiry.
Following the initial registration of the case, the formal trial—catalogued as T/LA/2118—commenced to address the allegations brought against her. While the surviving documentation is sparse regarding the specific nature of the charges, the trial of William highlights the precarious position of married couples within the judicial climate of the seventeenth century. Her experience reflects the broader pattern of seventeenth-century Scottish witch trials, where legal processes often ensnared entire households in a web of suspicion and procedural investigation.