In the autumn of 1661, Margaret Allan, a married woman residing at Newhall in Bathgate, Linlithgow, found herself at the centre of a grave legal struggle. Although her precise socio-economic standing remains ambiguous—with evidence suggesting she may have been employed within the household of the laird of Newhall, while other records hint at her husband’s involvement in local land transactions—her life became inextricably linked to the wider tremors of the Scottish witch trials. On 14 November 1661, she appeared in Edinburgh to answer to serious charges, which included allegations of participating in a witches’ meeting. Her name was frequently raised by others during this period of legal unrest; Margaret was cited as an accomplice by several women, including Anna Kemp, Bessie Davidsone, Bessie Dickson, Elizabeth Smyth, and Margaret Ker.
The case against Margaret was marked by allegations of significant destruction, specifically the harming of livestock and the infliction of damage upon an entire estate. However, the trial took an unusual turn when the local laird, serving as the prosecutor, intervened to reach an extralegal resolution. Rather than pursuing the capital charge, the prosecutor agreed to withdraw the case on the condition that Margaret accept a sentence of banishment. Under the terms of this agreement, she was required to maintain "good behaviour" and was strictly forbidden from ever returning to the bounds of Newhall. By securing this compromise, Margaret avoided the finality of a conviction, though the cost was a permanent exile from her home and community.