In the late summer of 1661, William Hog, an indweller of Newton near Edinburgh, found himself ensnared in the legal machinery of the Scottish witch trials. Classified as an individual of middling socioeconomic status, William was brought before the authorities amidst a period of intense judicial scrutiny regarding alleged maleficium. His case, formally registered under the designation C/EGD/1392, proceeded to trial later that year under the reference T/LA/377, marking a period of significant upheaval for both the accused and the local community in which he resided.
On July 29, 1661, while held within the confines of the Tolbooth, William provided a formal confession to his interrogators. However, the legal proceedings took a complex turn when he subsequently retracted this statement. The records conclude with his appearance at trial on September 6, 1661, documenting a brief but profound encounter with the 17th-century Scottish justice system that remains preserved in the judicial archives of the era.