In the spring of 1699, the life of Margaret Duncan, a widowed woman of middling status and the spouse of a Glasgow merchant, was drawn into the tumultuous legal proceedings surrounding the witch hunts of the period. The accusations against her originated in the towns of Paisley and Govan, where two young women, Margaret Laird and Margaret Murdoch, claimed to be tormented by figures they identified as witches. During episodes of intense physical fits, both Laird and Murdoch publicly denounced a significant number of individuals, including Margaret. These denunciations were formalised in testimony given across several days in April 1699, supported by various witnesses who attested to observing the girls’ convulsions and hearing the subsequent accusations.
Following these initial allegations, the legal path for Margaret became protracted and uncertain. While a trial was originally scheduled for Glasgow in May 1699, that proceeding appears not to have taken place. The case eventually reached the High Court in Edinburgh on March 12, 1700, where the dittay and the supporting witness statements from the previous year were presented for consideration. Ultimately, the judicial process concluded without a conviction; the diet was deserted, and Margaret was released, marking the end of her involvement in the judicial system.