John Shaw was the ninth Laird of Bargarran, a local landowner of some means, although modest in comparison to other landed gentry in the area. It was said that the family could proudly trace its name in the local area back a total of three centuries. He was married to Christine McGilchrist, and together they had six children. At the time of Christian Shaw's torment, the youngest child was just a few months old, and eventually had to be sent elsewhere for nursing given the commotion in the household. The laird oversaw a small number of household servants, including Katherine Campbell, as well as a number of smallholdings on his land, one of which was occupied by John Lindsay, who would be found guilty of bewitching his daughter.

When Christian Shaw began to experience fits and seizures, her parents initially sought out local medics in order to address the issue. The first consultation was with a close relation called John White, who lived in St. Mirin Wynd. This proved ineffective, so they turned to a local doctor called John Johnstone, whose practice was in Smithhills Street, Paisley. Despite the letting of blood, the girl's symptoms persisted. The Shaw's then looked towards Glasgow, and the practice of the eminent physician Dr Matthew Brisbane. Brisbane worked on the girl intermittently during the closing months of 1696, but eventually pronounced that he could find no natural cause for her symptoms, being especially puzzled by her regurgitation of a variety of natural objects.

The Shaws were a pious family, and had familiar connections with the local clergy. It was to the Church that they turned next in the quest for a solution. The local presbytery were quick to establish the case for witchcraft in the area, and a witch hunt had begun. A Commission was granted, and was largely dominated by local landowners, some of whom were closely related to the Shaws. A record of the girl's daily experience was kept, and both the laird and his wife signed off numerous passages and testified to the Commission about the events at their home. A fuller Narrative was published after the events of 1697 with the consent of both the laird and his wife, who were presumably keen to promote the case of their daughter's suffering, and her victory through the grace of God.