In June 1661, Geills Chartes, a resident of Newbattle, Edinburgh, found herself drawn into the judicial machinery of the Scottish witch trials. The process against her began on June 23, when denunciations were formally recorded after accusations were heard by the Kirk Session. These initial charges, which would lead to the formal registration of her case in July 1661, were grave in nature, encompassing the severe allegation of entering into a pact with the demonic.
Beyond the spiritual charges leveled against her, the legal record specifically notes accusations of property damage involving animals. The subsequent proceedings against Geills extended over several years, as evidenced by trial entries recorded in 1663. Throughout this period of legal scrutiny, the case remained a matter of public and ecclesiastical concern in Newbattle, reflecting the complex intersection of communal testimony and judicial procedure that defined the period’s approach to suspected maleficium.