John Lindsay was a resident of Formakune in the parish of Erskine, Renfrewshire, caught within the intense judicial scrutiny that defined the Renfrewshire witch trials of 1697. Amidst a wave of accusations that saw over twenty-eight individuals named in the region, John was one of only seven whose cases proceeded to a formal trial. The charges brought against him centered on his alleged participation in a witches' meeting, a central feature of the legal proceedings of that spring.
The legal process for John began on April 13, 1697, though the court continued the proceedings until May 12. The trial stretched over a week, concluding on May 19, 1697. Following the court’s determination of guilt, the sentence of execution was carried out on June 10, 1697, at the Gallow Green. In accordance with the judicial practices of the era for such convictions, John was put to death by being strangled and subsequently burned.