In August 1662, the legal machinery of the Scottish witch-hunts turned its attention toward John Hay, a messenger residing in the burgh of Tain, Ross. As a man of lower socioeconomic status, John existed within the precarious margins of seventeenth-century society, a position often characterized by heightened scrutiny during periods of intense judicial focus on perceived supernatural malfeasance. The records (C/EGD/1557) provide little detail regarding the specific nature of the allegations brought against him, but they capture a moment of significant peril in the life of a man whose primary occupation involved traversing the local landscape to carry communications.
The subsequent judicial proceedings (T/JO/1018) concluded with a verdict of not guilty. In the context of the Scottish witch trials between 1563 and 1736, an acquittal such as the one John received was a significant outcome. His case serves as a sober reminder of the unpredictability of the legal processes of the era, illustrating that while the accusation of witchcraft posed a profound threat to one’s life and reputation, the court system occasionally arrived at a resolution of exoneration, allowing John to return to his life and work in Tain.