In the shadowed corridors of the late 17th century, Margaret Logan found herself entangled in the ominous web of witchcraft accusations that embroiled many in early modern Scotland. A resident of Crichton, near Edinburgh, Margaret was a married woman whose ordinary life was upended by the gravity of the charges against her. As recorded, Margaret, along with three others, was summoned to answer these severe accusations — witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, and the renunciation of baptism, implying a sinister pact with the Devil himself. These charges, typical of the period’s witchcraft allegations, reflected the intense societal angst surrounding such practices.
Margaret's case was processed through the circuit courts, a testament to the legal gravity of the accusations. Her name appeared on the 1683 Edinburgh Porteous Roll, listed among other "delinquent dittays." The record detailed that her trial was part of a broader sweep capturing multiple accused individuals from Crichton, including a contemporary, G. Penman. However, the historical record notes that Margaret and her co-accused were marked as 'absent and resited' during the legal proceedings. This note, indicating their absence at the time of their indictment, leaves a shadow of ambiguity over the outcome of her trial and subsequent fate. This absence, whether due to evasion, fear, or the hardship of attending court, adds a layer of complexity to Margaret's story. It situates her within the tumultuous and perilous milieu of the Scottish witch trials, where the accused were as much caught up in the societal upheavals of the time as in the courts of law.