Niniane Chirneyside occupied a position of some consequence in late sixteenth-century Edinburgh, serving as a retainer to Francis, Earl of Bothwell. As a man of middling socioeconomic status, Niniane’s standing was further evidenced by the fact that he was attended by his own servant, a man recorded only by the surname Nesbitt. This domestic arrangement placed Niniane within the orbit of one of the most volatile political figures of the era, whose own complex relationship with King James VI likely informed the climate of suspicion surrounding his household.
On 24 May 1591, the legal proceedings against Niniane were solidified by his conspicuous absence from the royal court. Both he and Nesbitt were issued a formal proclamation commanding their presence at Holyrood Palace on 6 March 1591 to answer grave allegations of witchcraft and treason. By failing to appear before the King to address these charges, Niniane effectively absented himself from the formal judicial process, leaving the specific details of his alleged transgressions unrecorded. Consequently, the historical record concerning his case remains defined not by a trial or testimony, but by this decisive failure to answer to the crown.