In the spring of 1658, Marione Lewers, a resident of Rithorne in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright, found herself drawn into the machinery of the Scottish judicial system. Marione occupied a position of middling socioeconomic status; as a woman of some local standing, she possessed enough resources to maintain a substantial farm, holding sufficient stores of corn and owning a horse—a "naig"—which she was known to lend to her less fortunate neighbours. Despite her relative prosperity and stability, her name appeared on the Kirkcudbright roll in April 1658, marking the commencement of legal proceedings against her.
The subsequent trial, held in Dumfries, involved an extensive pre-trial investigative process that collected statements from fifteen men and seven women. When the formal proceedings opened on April 5, 1658, a reduced number of these individuals—nine men and six women—provided testimony. Ultimately, the witnesses largely stated that they possessed no knowledge of the specific accusations leveled against her. Though an unnamed minister ratified the veracity of these proceedings, the court reached a verdict of not guilty. Despite this acquittal, the official records indicate that Marione remained a subject of interest to the authorities, as she was later cited as a Dumfries delinquent required to appear at the tolbooth in April 1659.