In February 1597, the judicial machinery of Aberdeen turned its attention toward Thomas Leyis, a man of middling socioeconomic status whose life became irrevocably entangled in the localized anxieties of the Scottish witch-hunts. On the 23rd of that month, Thomas stood before an assize to answer to grave allegations, the primary charge being his purported role as the leader of a witches' meeting. The proceedings were characterized by a significant lack of consensus among his jurors; while the majority found him guilty of the leading charge and three additional counts, three members of the jury dissented, casting votes of not guilty. Despite this division, the legal outcome was decisive: Thomas was found guilty, his property was declared forfeit, and a sentence of death was passed.
The implications of the case extended well beyond the individual, as Thomas was deeply implicated in the broader network of accusations sweeping the region at the time. His name surfaced repeatedly in the testimonies of others facing trial, including Johnnet Wischert, Isobell Manteith, Christen Michell, and Isobel Cockie, who identified him variously as an accomplice or a denounced associate. Reflecting the urgency and severity with which these accusations were treated, the sentence was carried out on the very day of his conviction. Thomas was put to death by burning, a grim conclusion that left his entire estate to be absorbed by the mechanisms of forfeiture.
