In the winter of 1645, the judicial machinery of the Scottish kirk and state turned its attention toward Marion Russell, a resident of Glenluce in the parish of Old Luce, Wigtown. On the 25th of February, official records indicate that legal proceedings were formally initiated against her under the designation C/EGD/1302. At this time, the surrounding region was grappling with a period of heightened sensitivity regarding perceived supernatural threats, and Marion found herself brought before the authorities to account for allegations of witchcraft.
Following this initial charge, the matter proceeded to the formal trial stage, documented in the records under reference T/LA/1093. This shift from the accusation phase to the trial stage marked the transition of Marion’s case into the formal criminal courts of the mid-seventeenth century. While the surviving documentation focuses on the procedural milestones of the legal process, these records serve as a stark testament to the vulnerability of individuals like Marion within the social and ecclesiastical landscape of Wigtown during this era.