Nicolas Lauson, a middling-status woman from Pittenweem, Fife, found herself at the tangled heart of a witch trial in the early 18th century. Married to a farmer, Nicolas was part of a community where witchcraft suspicions could easily ignite fear and lead to formal accusations. In 1708, she was one of a group of seven individuals accused of bewitching Patrick Morton, the teenage son of a local blacksmith. The charges brought against them were severe, as they were implicated in convening at a witches' meeting, allegedly tormenting Morton—a case reminiscent of the infamous possession of Bargarran's daughter in the west.
The significance of Nicolas's case spurred the Privy Council into action. They appointed Sir James Stewart, Her Majesty's Advocate, to oversee the prosecutions, a demonstration of the gravity with which such accusations were received. The decision was made to hold the trial locally, with financial backing assured by the treasury. Records from the trial proceedings, however, reveal an ongoing ambiguity. While a session was scheduled for May 1709 in Perth, with Nicolas and others required to reappear following a series of arrests and releases, the outcome remains undocumented.
Nicolas's involvement in these witch trials was further compounded by her association with others similarly accused. She was mentioned specifically by women like Janet Horseburgh and Janet Cornfoot, who were either denounced alongside her or identified as accomplices. The historical record preserves the chilling atmosphere of the time, where confessions—albeit recorded without specific details—suggest coercion or desperation amid a community gripped by the fear of witchcraft.