Nicholas Buchanan, who hailed from Killearn in the shire of Stirling, found herself entangled in the tumultuous period of the Scottish witch trials during the late 17th century. The records identify her as a woman amidst a climate of intense scrutiny and fear, with her case unfolding around the turn of 1680. Confusion surrounds her origins, as differing records alternately place her in Stirlingshire and Nairn, underscoring the complexities and regional variations that often colored such proceedings.
By late 1679, her name surfaced on a Dunbarton porteus roll, a type of list used to document legal actions, marking her as a fugitive. However, the details regarding her alleged whereabouts were conflicting. Despite these inconsistencies, Nicholas was ordered to present herself in Edinburgh on January 5, 1680. The High Court in Edinburgh, when confronted with her case, opted to desert the dittay, a Scots law term indicating that the charges were not pursued due to insufficient evidence or procedural flaws. Nicholas was subsequently released, as recorded in the trial notes from that pivotal day.
These records leave much about Nicholas Buchanan's personal story to the imagination. Yet, they provide a glimpse into the fragmented and often disorderly nature of witch trial proceedings of the time. Her experience reflects the broader chaos and regional divergences prevalent in the Scottish legal system's handling of witchcraft accusations, where locality, procedural confusion, and shifting legal strategies often determined an individual's fate.