In the late summer of 1679, Christian Lockhart found herself entwined in the perilous world of witchcraft accusations in the quiet Scottish town of Lauder, Haddington. The records indicate that she, together with another local woman, Agnes Kelly, and her servant, M. Anderson, faced a precarious situation. The trio was subjected to pressure to denounce Elspeth Chousley, a fellow resident who had been extrajudicially beaten and subsequently arrested on charges of witchcraft. The details of what led to this coercion remain unclear, but the atmosphere of fear and the demand for denunciations were all too common during this dark period in Scottish history.
On September 9, 1679, Christian's case came to a head. A trial was set to take place in Haddington, a common site for judicial proceedings during the circuit court sessions. However, on the day of the trial, Christian was declared a fugitive for failing to appear before the court. This declaration meant she evaded the judicial process, possibly seeking refuge from an uncertain fate. The records do not specify the nature of any torture she may have endured, but during this time, physical coercion was not an unusual method used to extract confessions or denunciations. The absence of further information about Christian's life following this event leaves her story at this juncture, a silent testament to the fear and turmoil that gripped so many lives during the Scottish witch trials.