In November 1649, James Doddes, a married man residing in the parish of Linton in Peebles, became the subject of formal legal proceedings regarding allegations of witchcraft. The records indicate that his case, catalogued under reference C/EGD/2018, moved through the Scottish judicial system during a period of heightened sensitivity toward such charges. His trial, recorded under the reference T/LA/2035, serves as a testament to the specific archival documentation preserved from this era.
The circumstances surrounding James were complicated by the fact that he was not the only member of his household to face these accusations; his wife was simultaneously accused of witchcraft. Within the context of mid-seventeenth-century Linton, such domestic involvement was not uncommon, as suspicions often clustered within families or kin groups. By tracing the legal path of James and his spouse, historians can observe the manner in which the witchcraft statutes of 1563 were applied within local communities, framing the lives of individuals like James within the broader administrative and social structures of early modern Scotland.