In the spring of 1659, Helline Cuming, a resident of Stenton in Haddington, became the subject of legal proceedings that would culminate in her conviction for witchcraft. The process began on 14 March 1659, when she was formally indicted at the Kirk of Stenton. On that same day, Helline provided a confession, a document that would serve as the foundational evidence for the local authorities. The nature of these admissions included charges related to her participation in a meeting of witches, an accusation that carried grave ecclesiastical and civil implications within the seventeenth-century Scottish legal framework.
By 7 April 1659, Helline was brought before the Justices of the Peace in Haddington for trial. The court, having reviewed the materials from her earlier examination, determined that the contents of her confession constituted sufficient proof of guilt. Following this verdict, the Justices moved the case forward to Edinburgh, where the final sentencing proceedings were held. The surviving documentation, including both the formal indictment from Stenton and the subsequent trial records, provides a precise account of the administrative path Helline followed during the final weeks of her life under the jurisdiction of the Scottish courts.