Ewphame Young, a resident of Cockburnspath in Haddington, became entangled in the Scottish witch trials in 1613, a period marked by intense fear and suspicion. The records indicate that Ewphame was brought to trial on the second of March that year, a time when the witch-hunts were fervently pursued, fuelled by societal anxieties and institutional endorsement of witchcraft as a genuine threat.
While the specifics of her accusations are not detailed in the surviving documents, the very fact of her trial places her within the broader context of Scotland's severe witchcraft prosecutions, which were often propelled by local disputes, misfortunes, or the mere reputation of women in their communities. Ewphame's trial, referenced in record T/LA/222, would have involved a process infused with both legal procedures and the prevalent superstitions of the time, reflecting a society in which such allegations could have grave consequences. Her case stands as a poignant example of how ordinary women could find themselves caught in the grip of the era's fear-driven judicial practices.