In the spring of 1591, Malie Geddie, a resident of the burgh of Haddington, became formally entwined in the legal machinery of the Scottish witch trials. Her case, documented under the reference C/EGD/89, emerged during a period of heightened judicial scrutiny regarding supernatural involvement in the kingdom’s affairs. The records associated with her proceedings note that her trial date, May 8, 1591, coincided with the broader, highly publicized trial of Barbara Napier, a notable figure in the North Berwick witch hunts whose own legal struggles drew significant attention from the Scottish crown.
Within the archival framework of the Justiciary Court, the particulars of the proceedings against Malie are preserved under trial reference T/LA/990. While the specific indictments brought against her remain sparse in the extant records, her presence in the Haddington court reflects the systematic approach taken by local and national authorities during the late sixteenth century. By linking the timing of her appearance to the larger, politically charged atmosphere of the Napier proceedings, the records place Malie within a complex web of legal activity that characterized the enforcement of the 1563 Witchcraft Act in East Lothian.