In the spring of 1697, Margaret Cunninghame of Carslops, Renfrew, found herself at the centre of an unsettling episode as part of the broader Renfrewshire witch trials, a series of cases that would disturb the region. Margaret, a married woman, stood accused of attending a witches' meeting—a serious charge reflecting the period's pervasive fear of witchcraft. The case against her was logged under the official records with the date marked on the 19th of May. However, the path to this critical day was not straightforward. Margaret had been initially indicted on the 13th of April, but for reasons not detailed in the surviving records, her trial faced delays, finally commencing in mid-May.
The trial proceedings in Renfrew unfolded during a time of heightened tensions and suspicions, where such accusations carried grave consequences. Despite the severity of the accusations, the trial concluded with an outcome that spared Margaret from the harsher fates many others had suffered. The records indicate that she was released on caution, a form of conditional release. This ruling suggests that the court did not find sufficient evidence to convict her beyond attending the alleged meeting, yet it was deemed necessary to monitor her actions post-trial. Margaret Cunninghame's case thus ended without a conviction, allowing her to return to her life in Carslops, but it remains a somber reflection of the period's fraught atmosphere regarding witchcraft.