Alexander Drummond, a seventy-five-year-old indweller of Auchterarder, Perth, occupied a position of middling socioeconomic status and possessed a local reputation spanning five decades before he first faced formal scrutiny. His legal troubles began in May 1624, when he was denounced as a rebel in Perth. Although he underwent investigation by ministers at Dunfermline later that month, the Presbytery of Auchterarder found themselves unable to secure a confession, as Alexander commanded significant support within his local community. This impasse eventually led to his removal to Edinburgh, where his case was managed through the Privy Council and subjected to an intensive series of interrogations. Between October 1628 and January 1629, Alexander provided multiple confessions while held within the Edinburgh Tolbooth. Even his own son, when brought in for questioning during these proceedings, provided only vague responses regarding his father’s activities.
Following the judicial process in Edinburgh, Alexander was found guilty and sentenced to death. On July 11, 1629, he was executed at the Mercat Trone, where he suffered the sentence of strangulation followed by burning. Despite the finality of the court’s judgment, the memory of his life remained a point of contention within his community. Long after his death, supporters mounted a campaign to clear his name, describing him as “ane notable Christian” who had performed his widely recognized cures through entirely lawful means, framing his legacy as that of a healer rather than one associated with the charges of the trial.