In the late summer of 1678, Margaret Dods, a sixty-year-old resident of Paiston in the parish of Crichton, found herself at the centre of an intensive legal investigation led by the Lord Advocate. Though earlier documentation had recorded her age as twenty-seven, the trial proceedings noted the discrepancy, observing that Margaret appeared significantly older; indeed, she was described as being physically incapable of performing the ritual gesture of touching the crown of her head to the sole of her foot, a movement required during the act of renouncing one’s baptism. Her case was deeply interconnected with a wider web of accusations, as she was identified as an accomplice by Sarah Cranston and Marion Veitch, and was further named in testimonies provided by Katherine Halyday and Marion Campbell.
The legal process moved with swift, severe efficiency. Margaret provided a series of confessions across three separate dates—July 1, September 11, and September 13, 1678—detailing her alleged involvement in witches' meetings. These admissions were followed by the denunciation of several other women, including Margaret Bannyntyne, Margaret Russel, Margaret Sonnes, and Janet Burton. On September 13, the assize in Edinburgh returned a verdict of guilty, and within one week, the sentence was carried out. On September 20, 1678, Margaret was executed by the standard method of strangulation followed by burning.