In the late spring of 1697, Margaret Lang found herself enmeshed in a grim chapter of Scotland's history as one of the many individuals accused during the Renfrewshire witch trials. Margaret, a married woman residing in Renfrew, became embroiled in a witchcraft case that reverberated with the terror and suspicion characteristic of the period. Her accusation was anchored in claims of attending a witches' meeting, a charge fraught with the stigma and fear associated with witchcraft in early modern Scotland. The trials that Margaret became a part of were among multiple such proceedings in Renfrew during that year, involving more than two dozen accused individuals. Notably, her predicament was compounded by the involvement of her daughter, who also became implicated in the witchcraft accusations, illustrating the devastating familial impacts of these trials.
Margaret's trial commenced on April 13, 1697, but due to the complexities and perhaps the number of cases, continued until May 12 of the same year, ultimately extending to May 19. The protracted nature of the trial suggests a rigorous legal process, though one heavily influenced by prevailing superstitions and societal pressures of the time. On May 12, Margaret was found guilty, sealing her fate in a somber verdict that led to her execution. On June 10, 1697, Margaret Lang faced her grim end at Gallow Green, where she was sentenced to be strangled and burned, a common execution method for those condemned of witchcraft. Her execution, one among several in the Renfrewshire cases of 1697, underscored the tragic outcomes of those who stood accused during this dark period in Scottish history. The records of Margaret Lang's case offer poignant reminders of the human costs amid the broader patterns of fear and persecution that characterized the witch trials.