In the coastal burgh of Pittenweem, Fife, the legal machinery of the mid-seventeenth century turned toward Margaret Kingow on December 13, 1643. Recorded under the reference C/EGD/2299, Margaret’s case reflects the intense scrutiny applied to residents of the East Neuk during this period, where local authorities frequently exercised their jurisdiction over allegations of witchcraft. While the surviving documentation is brief, its existence within the official court records marks a significant moment of transition in Margaret's life, as she was pulled from the relative obscurity of her daily affairs into the formal, bureaucratic process of judicial examination.
The record of Margaret remains starkly focused on the procedural commencement of her case, offering a window into the administrative realities of the witch trials of 1643. By the winter of that year, the legal proceedings against her had been officially entered into the regional archives, ensuring that Margaret would be accounted for in the ongoing investigations that characterized the religious and social climate of Fife. Though the particulars of the accusations brought against her have not been preserved in this entry, the formal recording of her name and residence serves as a testament to the gravity with which the town magistrates approached the charge of witchcraft during this turbulent era.