Ewfame Makcalzene, a woman of illustrious background from Cliftonhall near Edinburgh, found herself deeply embroiled in the judicial machinery of the North Berwick witch trials in the late spring of 1591. As a married woman of upper-class status, her involvement was substantial enough to draw the attention of the courts, leading to her citation on charges of *maleficium*—the practice of harmful magic—and attendance at illicit witches' meetings. Her case became inextricably linked to the wider North Berwick proceedings, as various individuals, including Katherine Campbell, Catheren Carutheris, Jonet Cunninghame, and Robert Grierson, formally identified Ewfame as an accomplice in their testimonies.
The legal process against Ewfame was complex and protracted, involving lengthy objections that delayed the proceedings. By June 1591, the trial moved toward a conclusion in Edinburgh; after the assize retired to deliberate on the specific evidence, a guilty verdict was returned on June 14. Following the application of torture, during which Ewfame was tied to a pole, the court sentenced her to death. The allegations against her were wide-ranging, specifically encompassing the destruction of boats and livestock. On June 15, 1591, the sentence was carried out at Castle Hill in Edinburgh, where she was executed by burning.
