In October 1699, Margaret Provost, a resident of Fortrose in Ross, was brought before the authorities to face accusations of witchcraft. While the records do not confirm whether Margaret was married or a widow at the time of her arrest, they reveal that her daughter was also drawn into the proceedings, facing oblique accusations alongside her mother. The gravity of these charges was magnified by the nature of the damage alleged by her accusers, which centered upon the destruction of property and the disruption of agrarian life.
Specific grievances leveled against Margaret involved the harming of livestock and the deliberate interference with a plough. In the context of early modern rural Scotland, where the survival of a household was inextricably linked to the health of its animals and the efficacy of its farming implements, these allegations were significant. Following the initial process in Ross, the legal proceedings shifted to Edinburgh, where the case was formally recorded under the reference T/LA/2231. This transition to the capital underscored the serious administrative scrutiny applied to the case as the judicial system processed the charges brought against her.