In March 1624, Margaret Melrois, an indweller of middling status residing in Pinkertoun, near Dunbar in Haddington, became the subject of a formal legal inquiry. The charges brought against her centered on allegations of attending a witches' meeting, a serious accusation within the judicial climate of the early seventeenth century. Her case was further complicated by the testimony of Isobell Young, who explicitly denounced Margaret during the course of other legal proceedings, drawing her into a wider web of local suspicion.
Following her apprehension, the legal process moved swiftly through the courts, as documented in the records of the trial proceedings T/LA/5 and T/LA/8. A confession was elicited from Margaret during the investigation, detailing the nature of the activities for which she was indicted. Ultimately, the judicial process concluded with a final sentence of execution. This outcome reflects the gravity with which the authorities of the period viewed such charges, marking the tragic end of Margaret’s life following her brief and documented entanglement with the Scottish legal system.