In 1698, the judicial machinery of early modern Scotland turned toward Coldingham in Berwickshire, where a woman named Alison Nisbet became the subject of a legal proceeding regarding witchcraft. As documented in case record C/EGD/1941, Alison was identified as a resident of this coastal parish, a region that had, throughout the seventeenth century, witnessed recurring cycles of suspicion and ecclesiastical intervention. While the broader context of the Scottish witch trials was nearing its eventual decline, the formal investigation into her activities underscores the persistent reach of the local kirk sessions and the central courts in regulating the spiritual and social conduct of parishioners.
The surviving record for Alison remains concise, preserved primarily as a formal entry within the administrative archives of the period. Though details concerning the specific accusations or the eventual outcome of her case are limited by the historical record, her inclusion in the register of witch trials stands as a testament to the legal processes of the time. The brief nature of the documentation suggests that her experience was part of a structured, albeit somber, judicial inquiry that sought to address reports of maleficium or diabolical engagement within the community of Coldingham.