In the summer of 1627, the legal proceedings against Margaret Ballame (also recorded as Baleny) of Ayton began with a formal denunciation. On July 27, she was named as a witch by Margaret Loche, a woman who had already provided a confession regarding her own involvement in witchcraft. This denunciation served as the catalyst for the subsequent investigation into Margaret’s activities, which eventually saw her brought before the authorities in the border region of Berwick.
The legal process unfolded over several years, with records indicating that Margaret was subjected to a trial by September 5, 1629. The case files, documented under the reference C/EGD/1168, highlight that the allegations brought against her were intrinsically tied to property damage. Specifically, the accusations included the destruction of a mill, an incident that was noted twice within the evidentiary records. These charges, spanning the period between her initial denunciation and the trials indexed as T/LA/137 and T/LA/151, underscore the gravity with which the local community and the judicial system viewed the disruption of essential infrastructure during this era.