Trial Details
T/LA/322 Margaret Porteous
- Name of the accused
- Margaret Porteous
- Associated case
- C/EGD/408 (6/9/1661)
- Trial process type
- Central Court
| associated trials | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trial reference | accused | trial type | trial year | trial place |
| T/LA/308 | Agnes Pogavie | Central Court | 1661 | Edinburgh |
| T/LA/323 | Margaret Grieve | Central Court | no information | Edinburgh |
| T/LA/384 | Issobell Dodis | Central Court | 1661 | Edinburgh |
| T/LA/392 | Elspeth Mowat | Central Court | 1661 | Edinburgh |
Pre-trial actions
| commissions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| commission body | type | date | seal | notes |
| no recorded commission | ||||
| previous commissions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| commission body | date | |||
| no recorded prior commission | ||||
| appeals | ||
|---|---|---|
| central authority | reason | appeal date |
| no recorded appeals | ||
| complaints | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| type | date of complaint | lodged at | appeal date | complainent | involvement |
| no recorded complaints | |||||
| move to higher legal authority | |
|---|---|
| moved to | date of move |
| no recorded move to higher legal authority | |
| denunciations | |
|---|---|
| denuncation date | dated |
| no recorded denunciations | |
| imprisonments | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| incarceration date | central trial imprison | prison | location | moving |
| None | no | None | None | no |
| None | yes | None | Edinburgh | no |
| tortures | |
|---|---|
| date of torture | torture type |
| no recorded tortures | |
| ordeals | |
|---|---|
| date of ordeal | ordeal type |
| no recorded ordeals | |
| confessions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| central trial confession | date | location | notes |
| no | 29/7/1661 | Liberton | None |
other information
- Pre-trial notes
- She was lumped in with a group trial in the preliminary drafts of 7/8/1661, but a side note says that her charges didn't go to an assize. No idea why? Perhaps it was because she didn't confess on 7/8/1661, saying that 'great oppression' made her confess before.
- watched?
- no
- watch date
- no information
- arrested?
- yes
- arrest date
- no information
- fled?
- no
- date absconded
- no information
- action dropped?
- yes
- action dropped date
- 7/8/1661
- action dropped by
- no information
- trial action body
- High Court
- confronting suspects?
- no
Trial phase
- trial date
- 7/8/1661
- trial place
- no information
place of trial
- settlement
- Edinburgh
- parish
- no information
- presbytery
- no information
- county
- no information
- burgh
- no information
verdict
- verdict
- no information
- defence
- no
- female accusers
- 0
- male accusers
- 0
- recorded as high status?
- no
- order for central judiciary trial
- no
- judiciary trial date
- no information
- circuit court (mixed central and local)
- no
- circuit name
- no information
- local court with central representatives
- no
- trial notes
- She was in an earlier version of a Books of Adjournal entry as not passing to the assize, presumably the charges were dropped. She was ordered to be set free from jail under the condition that she used no charmes, sorcery or witchcraft on 6/9/1661. 2 women and 2 men gave in evidence against her pre-trial.
| persons associated with the trial | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| name | title | office | occupation | involvement | witchpricker? | notes |
| no recorded additional persons | ||||||
Post-trial phase
- sentence
- no information
- executed?
- no
- execution date
- no information
- execution place
- no information
- execution method
- no information
- post trial notes
- None
| other named witches | ||
|---|---|---|
| name | trial link | accused link |
| Margaret Nidrie | T/JO/431 | A/JO/2729 |
| Margaret Reid | T/LA/396 | A/LA/2696 |
Mentioned as a witch
| mentioned as a witch | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| type | name | mention date | fate | linked trialdate | trial link | notes |
| no mentions | ||||||