Margaret Sonnes' journey into the tragic annals of history began in the modest parish of Fala, Haddington. At 55 years of age, she found herself embroiled in one of the most formidable periods of witch trials in early modern Scotland. Accused of witchcraft, her case was formalized on November 6, 1678, a culmination of suspicions that had shadowed her for decades. Margaret’s confession, recorded twice in 1678, reveals that she admitted to being in the service of the Devil for a striking thirty years—a confession that would have sealed her fate in the eyes of contemporaries.
Her trial, held in Edinburgh, presented charges that included attending witches' meetings—sinister gatherings that were believed to be at the heart of witchcraft activities. Despite the specific context of her confessions and the intense scrutiny during the trials, the verdict was stark and unequivocal: she was found guilty and sentenced to execution. The matter was so urgent that the court adjourned the proceedings until later in the same week to finalize her fate, a reflection of the gravity with which authorities treated such cases.
Margaret’s trial drew in testimonies from others who were embroiled in similar accusations, including Margaret Dods, Alison Rae, and particularly Andrew Hud and Jannet Henryson, who were named as her accomplices. These individuals' accusations underscore the intricate web of suspicion and denunciation that characterized the era's witch hunts. As her story closed with the weighty decree of execution, Margaret Sonnes became yet another name in the litany of those whose lives were irrevocably altered by the pervasive fear and profound belief in witchcraft that defined 17th-century Scotland.