In late November 1615, the legal machinery of the Scottish state focused its attention upon Margaret Nicolsoun, a woman residing in the parish of Birgin in Eccles, Berwick. Her case, documented under reference C/EGD/1743, was initiated on the 28th of that month, marking the beginning of a formal investigative process. At a time when the legal framework regarding witchcraft was strictly managed through both local kirk sessions and central judicial commissions, Margaret was brought before the authorities to answer for allegations that would ultimately lead to her appearing before the court in a formal trial, recorded under the reference T/LA/235.
The records provide a stark outline of the procedural journey Margaret undertook during this period of significant judicial scrutiny. Following the initial record of her case in November, the transition to a trial indicates that the accusations leveled against her had reached the threshold required for a full judicial hearing. While the documentation offers limited insight into the specific nature of the claims against her, the existence of these records confirms that Margaret remained a subject of interest to the ecclesiastical and civil powers of Berwick throughout the legal proceedings that governed the trial of alleged witches in early seventeenth-century Scotland.