In the spring of 1597, Margrat Scherar, a married woman residing in Kincardine O'Neil, Aberdeen, became the subject of a formal judicial inquiry. Her case, documented under reference C/EGD/2136, was initiated on the 6th of April, placing her within the intense wave of witch trials that swept through the north-east of Scotland during the late sixteenth century. As a married woman within her local Kincardine community, Margrat was subject to the scrutiny of the local kirk sessions and the burgeoning legal apparatus tasked with identifying those deemed to be in league with diabolical forces.
Following the initial proceedings, the legal records (T/JO/1507) indicate that Margrat was committed to a formal trial. During this period, the judicial process in Aberdeen was characterised by rigorous examination and the gathering of depositions from neighbours and local officials. While the specific nature of the accusations brought against her remains confined to the administrative records of the time, her case stands as a documented instance of the socio-legal mechanisms employed in Aberdeenshire during the summer of 1597 to address allegations of maleficium and witchcraft.