In the summer of 1678, the judicial machinery of early modern Scotland turned its attention to Margaret Couper, a married woman residing in the parish of Keith, Haddington. On the 20th of July, official proceedings were initiated against her, marking the formal commencement of case C/LA/3060. As was customary in such legal actions during this period, the state moved to examine the allegations brought against her, categorizing her case within the broader administrative framework of the Scottish witch trials.
Following the initial registration of the charge, Margaret was brought to trial under reference T/LA/1437. While the surviving records capture the administrative necessity of her prosecution and the specific dates of her encounter with the court, they provide a focused view of the bureaucratic process that defined her experience. Margaret remains a figure defined by these legal documents, representing a moment in 1678 when the community and the law intersected to subject her to the formal rigors of the Haddington court.