On November 12, 1597, Christian Lewinstoun, a resident of the bustling port town of Leith, appeared before the authorities in Edinburgh to face charges concerning her alleged participation in a witches’ meeting. The proceedings against her, documented under case file C/EGD/132, were part of a broader period of heightened judicial scrutiny regarding supernatural activity. Among the accusations brought against Christian was the claim that she had caused specific damage to a dairy, an allegation that linked her supposed transgressions to the disruption of local domestic and economic stability.
The trial, designated T/LA/43, concluded rapidly on that same day. Christian was found guilty of the charges leveled against her, resulting in a sentence of execution. Following the court’s decision, she was transported to Castle Hill in Edinburgh, where the sentence was carried out by strangulation followed by burning. The finality of these proceedings underscores the severe legal and social consequences faced by those identified by the courts during this era of Scottish history.