In October 1649, Margaret Dalgleish, a resident of the burgh of Lauder in Berwickshire, found herself formally entangled in the mechanisms of the Scottish judicial system regarding the crime of witchcraft. Her case, documented under the reference C/EGD/1974, emerged during a period of intense judicial activity in the Scottish Borders, when local commissions were frequently granted to examine such accusations. Margaret was subsequently brought to trial under the jurisdiction of Lauder, an event cataloged in the records as T/LA/2003.
The legal proceedings against Margaret took place on the 2nd of October, marking a significant moment in the social and legal history of the Lauder community. While the surviving documentation focuses on the procedural requirements of her trial—reflecting the standard administrative practices employed by the Scottish courts of the mid-seventeenth century—it underscores the precarious position of women accused under the Witchcraft Act of 1563. As the narrative of her case transitioned from initial accusation to judicial scrutiny, Margaret remained the subject of a formal process that sought to test the legitimacy of claims brought against her before the local authorities.