On the 7th of July 1624, Marable Couper was tried for witchcraft in Orkney, a case that epitomizes the tense and fearful atmosphere of 17th-century Scotland. Residing in the parish of Birsay, on the North Side, Marable was formally accused of causing harm to essential aspects of the agrarian economy—crops, ale, animals, meal, and even buildings were allegedly affected by her supposed maleficence. The records from her trial reveal that she had previously faced similar accusations, resulting in a verdict of banishment from Birsay. It seems that during this earlier encounter with authorities, Marable opted to leave her community voluntarily to avoid further charges, though this did not prove to be a permanent solution.
The specific details of her confession, documented alongside the trial records, remain underexplored in the historical documents. However, Marable was found guilty once more, culminating in a sentence of execution. Tragically, her punishment was carried out in Lonhead, where she was strangled and then burned, a method often employed in witch trials of the era. Marable Couper’s case highlights the precarious existence faced by many individuals at the time, reflecting broader societal fears and the fervent pursuit of those perceived to possess malevolent supernatural abilities. Her story remains a poignant reminder of the human cost of such persecutions in early modern Scotland.