In the autumn of 1661, Margaret Grintoun, a resident of the village of Gilmerton within the parish of Libberton, Edinburgh, found herself swept into the machinery of the Scottish judicial system during a period of intense scrutiny regarding suspected witchcraft. On 7 August 1661, Margaret was brought to Edinburgh to face formal proceedings. She appeared as part of a significant group of individuals accused under the same indictment, which centered upon allegations of attending a witches' meeting—a charge that, in the social and legal context of the time, suggested participation in illicit gatherings believed to be of a malevolent or pact-bound nature.
During this initial trial, Margaret maintained her stance throughout the proceedings, consistently refusing to confess to the charges leveled against her. In the seventeenth-century Scottish legal framework, a confession was often a pivotal element in moving a case forward to an assize, or jury trial. Because she did not offer such a confession, the judicial process surrounding Margaret halted; she was not sent to an assize, and the case file concludes with the presumption that the charges against her were subsequently dropped. A final record dated 10 September 1661 acknowledges the conclusion of this legal chapter, marking the end of her entanglement in the court records of the period.