In the town of Duns, situated in the historic county of Berwick, Katherine King found herself ensnared in the perilous web of the witch trials that swept through Scotland during the 16th and 17th centuries. The records pertaining to her case, formally designated as C/LA/3023, dated July 13th, 1629, provide us a glimpse into the circumstances that led the authorities to accuse her of witchcraft and bring her to trial, documented under T/LA/1285.
Katherine's trial unfolded during a period marked by fear and suspicion, as communities sought to root out what they perceived as malevolent forces within their midst. While the specifics of the accusations against Katherine are lost to the passage of time, the record of her trial entry indicates her embroilment in the judicial processes that characterised the era's witch hunts. Resident in Duns, Katherine would have faced the scrutiny not only of the local magistrates but also of a community engulfed in a heightened sense of vigilance against supposed sorcery.
The historical account of Katherine King's ordeal stands as a testament to the climate of the era—one where allegations of witchcraft could swiftly land an individual in the courtroom. While the outcomes of her case are not preserved in the surviving documents, the mere presence of her name in such records serves as a poignant reminder of the precarious position many found themselves in when caught at the intersection of superstition and law in early modern Scotland.