In the late summer of 1630, a married woman from Peterhead in Aberdeen found herself entangled in the judicial machinery of the Scottish witch trials. On September 8, 1630, she was formally brought before the authorities under the case reference C/EGD/1244. The allegations leveled against her were rooted in the specific anxieties of her maritime community, centering on the charge of participating in a "witches' meeting"—a grave accusation during an era when such gatherings were perceived as threats to both spiritual and social order.
Beyond the charge of illicit assembly, the accusations against her were inextricably linked to the economic vulnerability of her coastal residence. Among the formal complaints documented during the trial proceedings (T/LA/788) was the allegation of property damage specifically directed at boats. In the context of early modern Peterhead, where the fishing industry served as the lifeblood of the town, such an accusation carried significant weight, connecting the perceived influence of the accused to the tangible destruction of local livelihood.