In May 1678, Marjorie Anderson, a servant of humble status residing in the East Lothian town of Prestonpans, became embroiled in the legal machinery of the Scottish witch trials. Alongside her employer, Agnes Kelly, Marjorie was brought under the scrutiny of the authorities, facing grave charges that included the accusation of a pact with the demonic. While the historical record for her subsequent trial remains silent on the specific courtroom proceedings, it documents that both women were subjected to intense external pressures during the investigation.
This period of duress appears to have been part of a wider local campaign, as Marjorie and Kelly were compelled to denounce Elspeth Chousley. The case highlights the volatile environment of Prestonpans at the time, where Chousley was subjected to extrajudicial beatings and arrest, with the testimonies of women like Marjorie serving as critical, coerced components of the judicial process. Though the specific nature of the torture Marjorie endured remains unrecorded, her involvement illustrates the interconnected web of accusations that frequently characterized these seventeenth-century proceedings.