In the late seventeenth century, the legal machinery of Scotland’s witch trials reached into the northern reaches of the country, ensnaring individuals whose lives remain etched in the archival record. Among these was Donald Moir, a resident of Ross, whose encounter with the judiciary occurred in 1697. While the surviving documentation for this case—indexed under C/EGD/1776—is brief, its preservation provides a direct connection to a period when the intersection of local suspicion and judicial authority frequently culminated in formal accusations.
The record of Donald serves as a quiet witness to the socio-legal climate of the Highlands during this era. Although the specific nature of the allegations brought against him remains unelaborated in the provided documents, the mere presence of his name in the court rolls highlights the vulnerability of men living in Ross to the shifting legal frameworks of the late 1600s. Through Donald, we gain a glimpse into the bureaucratic administration of the era, marking him as one of the many individuals caught within the complex, often opaque, judicial landscape that governed early modern Scottish life.