In 1670, the legal records of Forfarshire document the case of Meggie Cowie, a resident of Montrose who became enmeshed in the formal judicial processes concerning witchcraft that characterized the period. While the archival entry (C/EGD/1897) confirms her inclusion in the criminal registers of the seventeenth century, the specific circumstances of her prosecution remain tethered to the broader historical context of the era’s intensive efforts to identify and curb perceived diabolical activity within the burghs of eastern Scotland.
Although the available documentation for Meggie is constrained by the limited secondary references currently preserved, her case stands as a representative example of the experiences of women brought before the local courts during this turbulent decade. The archival silence surrounding the granular details of her testimony or the verdict does not diminish her place within the historical record of Montrose. Rather, Meggie remains a defined figure in the state’s protracted engagement with witchcraft, illustrating the procedural weight placed upon individuals residing in the Forfar jurisdiction during the later stages of the early modern trial period.