Katharine Oswald, a thirty-seven-year-old resident of Nydrie Mylne and the wife of a local miller, found herself at the centre of a protracted and complex legal ordeal in 1629. Her reputation as a woman associated with witchcraft had persisted for over a decade before the formal proceedings against her accelerated in the spring of that year. Following denunciations recorded at the kirk session of Niddrie and subsequent depositions taken at Liberton Kirk in July, Katharine was arrested. Due to the lack of a secure tolbooth in Nydrie, she was held in Edinburgh for eight weeks, a period marked by significant procedural difficulty and a formal complaint from her husband regarding the lack of progress in her case.
The gravity of the allegations—which included charges of *maleficium* and participation in illicit witches' meetings—necessitated an unusual degree of judicial oversight. The Privy Council appointed four assessors to assist the sheriff and bailies of Edinburgh in the proceedings. Throughout this period, Katharine was frequently named by others implicated in similar trials, including Alexander Hammiltoun, Elizabeth Steven, and Juliane Unknown, while the legal arguments surrounding her case were cited in connection with the precedent of Isobell Young. The charges against her pointed to a broad scope of alleged harm, specifically citing the destruction of crops, malt, animals, and buildings. Following a trial on 11 November 1629, Katharine was found guilty and sentenced to death. Two days later, on 13 November, she was executed at Castle Hill by the method of strangulation and burning.
