In the spring of 1662, the village of Crook of Devon, situated within the parish of Fossoway and Tullibole, became the site of a legal proceeding that drew Robert Wilson into the machinery of the Scottish witch trials. As a married man living within this community, Robert found himself subject to a formal investigation recorded under the reference C/EGD/1487. The legal processes initiated on 23 April 1662 reflect the intensification of judicial scrutiny that characterized this period of early modern Scottish history, when local ecclesiastical and secular authorities acted upon accusations of maleficium or diabolical pacts.
While the primary documentation for Robert’s case is brief, the existence of his entry in the records highlights the broader vulnerability of individuals in Perthshire during this era of heightened anxiety. Though the specific nature of the allegations brought against him remains obscured by the limitations of the archive, his appearance before the court marks him as one of the many men and women whose lives were irrevocably altered by the socio-religious climate of the mid-17th century. The administrative record of Robert’s case serves as a sober testament to the reach of the Scottish courts during a time when the boundaries between natural misfortune and suspected supernatural influence were frequently contested in the public sphere.