In the summer of 1662, the legal machinery of the Scottish state focused its attention on Donald Vic McPhaill, a resident of Buntoit in the parish of Kiltarlity and Convinth, Inverness. Little is known of Donald’s life prior to his entanglement with the judicial authorities, yet the surviving administrative records confirm that his case moved rapidly through the court system during that June. On June 26, 1662, his legal proceedings were formally documented within the Register of the Privy Council under the reference C/EGD/1570.
The documentation regarding Donald is brief, yet it underscores the gravity with which his situation was viewed by contemporary officials. Within the same month as his initial case record, he provided a confession, a document that served as a central instrument in the judicial processes of the era. Despite the existence of this testimony and the subsequent entry for his trial (T/JO/972), historical records provide no further details concerning the specific allegations leveled against him or the eventual outcome of his appearance before the court. His narrative remains preserved primarily through these formal administrative fragments, marking his place within the broader history of the 17th-century Scottish witch trials.