In late November 1679, the legal apparatus of the Scottish state focused its attention upon Margaret Law, a resident of Bonhard in the parish of Linlithgow. Recorded under case reference C/LA/3083, her proceedings became part of the extensive documentary history of the witch trials that punctuated the seventeenth century in Scotland. On November 27, 1679, the formal processing of her case marked the beginning of a process that would see her moved through the judicial system of the era, eventually appearing before the court under trial reference T/LA/1476.
The records for Margaret remain concise, preserving the administrative framework that defined the lives of those caught within the witch-hunting statutes of the period. By documenting the date of her case and the subsequent trial, the authorities established a permanent historical account of the allegations brought against her. While the specific nature of the charges against Margaret—common in the era—remains unelaborated in these brief entries, the formal registration of her name and residence confirms her place within the broader, harrowing narrative of the 1563–1736 witch trials that shaped the social and legal landscape of Linlithgow.