Hi Spices,
The vast majority of the existing High Court Trials from the 19th century are indexed in the National Records of Scotland catalogue. The catalogue is free to search on their website:
http://www.nas.gov.uk/onlineCatalogue/I just typed in Mary Burrows but I believe the references you need are JC26/1834/427 and AD14/34/392. It says "Trial papers relating to Mary Burrows for the crime of uttering base coin. Tried at High Court, Edinburgh" and "Precognition against Mary Burrows for the crime of uttering base coin" respectively.
The AD reference is the precognition. These are written reports of statements given by witnesses and frequently the accused, prepared by the Crown (as prosecutor) which are contained among the records of the Lord Advocate’s Department
The JC reference is the record of the High Court itself, the primary sources to consult being the minute books, which summarise trial proceedings, and the process or case papers.
These records overlap to a degree but you really need to look at both to have a full picture. They generally give an address but often name family too; this would help you trace your ancestors further back.
If Mary has been convicted before (in the local Sheriff Court perhaps) these trial papers will tell you where and when. From there you will be able to trace her back through the years, that is if she has been convicted of previous convictions. Here is an example from a Sheriff Court:
http://bit.ly/wgWZyZThere are a lot of avenues open to you, prison registers for example will give you the number of her last prison entry (if she was in that prison previously). Later prison records will even tell you of any tattoos or marks. I have even seen drawings of tattoos, which may help you to discern what they mean. In one I looked at recently one prison register had two sets of initials; the other had a drawing of the tattoo including love hearts, a lot depended on who was writing down the information.
Newspapers are also fantastic, although access can be limited depending where you are. The National Library of Scotland is by far the best resource and the staff are extremely helpful.
Emma
