In the turbulent summer of 1563, Agnes Mullikine of Dunfermline, Fife, found herself at the center of a storm that would sweep her to Edinburgh to face accusations of witchcraft. Scottish witch trials during this period were characterized by an intense scrutiny and fear of maleficium, or harmful magic, and often ensnared those living on the margins of society. Agnes's trial on June 26, 1563, was marked by the procedures of a central trial, a significant detail that underscores the gravity with which the authorities pursued her case, as noted by the 19th-century chronicler, Robert Pitcairn.
The historical records reveal that Agnes Mullikine was tried and ultimately found guilty of witchcraft—a charge that carried severe consequences in 16th-century Scotland, where witchcraft was often conflated with heresy and seen as a direct threat to the communal and moral order. However, in an outcome somewhat less severe than others of her time, Agnes was sentenced to banishment. This verdict might reflect the particular circumstances of her case or the nature of evidence against her, which, while regarded as sufficient for a guilty verdict, did not culminate in execution, a fate many accused witches endured.
Agnes's banishment, though a merciful reprieve from death, nonetheless meant the severance of ties with her community, a harsh and isolating fate in its own right. She was forced to navigate a realm where her name was tarnished, and her life, reshaped by her expulsion from Dunfermline, would continue under the shadow of the witchcraft label. Though the specifics of her later life remain beyond the grasp of surviving records, Agnes Mullikine's experience encapsulates the perilous reality faced by those accused of witchcraft in early modern Scotland, revealing the pervasive fear and societal upheaval of the period.