In April 1568, the legal machinery of early modern Scotland turned its attention toward Agnes Gordoun, a resident of Arbroath and St Vigeans in the county of Forfar. The particulars of her involvement with the judicial system are preserved in the surviving records of the High Court of Justiciary under case number C/LA/3374. At a time when the Scottish authorities were increasingly formalizing the prosecution of maleficium—the harm allegedly caused by supernatural means—Agnes found herself named in proceedings that would culminate in a formal trial, documented as T/LA/2242.
While the concise nature of these archival entries leaves the specific allegations against Agnes unspoken, her inclusion in the records highlights the broader climate of judicial scrutiny prevalent in the mid-16th century. The transition from the passing of the Witchcraft Act in 1563 to the subsequent decades saw an intensification of local and central efforts to regulate perceived occult activities. For Agnes, this historical trajectory resulted in her appearance before the court, marking a significant and life-altering encounter with the ecclesiastical and civil powers of the Forfar region.