On September 8, 1679, Marion Robertson, a married woman residing in the coastal settlement of Fisherrow within the parish of Inveresk, was formally brought before the authorities in Edinburgh. Her name appeared on the Porteous roll of delinquent dittays, a legal instrument used to record those summoned to answer for criminal charges before the circuit courts. As was customary for such proceedings during this period, the legal documentation associated with Marion’s case employed a structured and formulaic set of accusations.
These charges collectively categorized her alleged activities under the headings of witchcraft, sorcery, and necromancy. Furthermore, the record specified the grave theological transgressions traditionally associated with such indictments: the formal renunciation of her baptismal vows and the assertion that she had committed her entire being—both body and soul—to the service of the Devil. Following her inclusion on this roll of delinquents, the trial proceedings were initiated in Edinburgh to address these serious claims.