In the autumn of 1649, Robert Garner found himself drawn into the judicial machinery of the Scottish witch trials. A resident of Crichton—a location historically situated within the presbytery of Dalkeith, though occasionally conflated with the parish of Kirkton in the Jedburgh presbytery—Robert was brought before the authorities on November 6, 1649. His case, cataloged under the reference C/EGD/2016, marks a period of heightened scrutiny regarding allegations of maleficium and diabolical pacts that characterized the seventeenth-century kirk sessions and civil courts.
Following his initial appearance, the proceedings moved toward a trial recorded under reference T/LA/2055. Central to the legal process against Robert was the formal documentation of his testimony, as the records confirm that a confession was successfully obtained. While the specific content of his admissions remains sequestered within the archival brevity of the period’s legal shorthand, the existence of this confession provided the necessary evidentiary basis for the court to conclude its inquiry into his actions.