In the mid-seventeenth century, the parish of Kingarth on the Isle of Bute became the site of a legal proceeding involving a resident named Lachlan McKirdy. Recorded under case file C/EGD/2400, the archival trail begins with a confession obtained from Lachlan on June 24, 1649. While the specific nature of his admissions remains preserved within the ecclesiastical and legal frameworks of the era, this moment marked the commencement of a formal inquiry that would eventually culminate in his appearance before the court.
Following the initial confession, the judicial process continued through the winter, leading to the trial documented under reference T/JO/1638. On December 25, 1649, the legal proceedings against him reached a definitive stage. Within the context of the Scottish witch trials of this period, these documents serve as a stark record of the administrative and judicial rigour applied to individuals such as Lachlan during a time of intense socio-religious scrutiny in the Scottish Isles.