In 1707, the legal records of Dumfries document the case of Alexander Deuart, a man whose life became irrevocably entwined with the mechanisms of the Scottish judicial system during the waning years of the witch trials. As a resident of Dumfries, Alexander fell under the scrutiny of local authorities at a time when the legal landscape of Scotland was shifting, yet the prosecution of those suspected of maleficium remained a persistent reality in the region. The archival entry, catalogued under reference C/EGD/2456, provides a stark, administrative acknowledgement of his presence within the court records of that year.
While the surviving documentation regarding Alexander is brief, it serves as an essential fragment of the broader history of early modern Scottish witchcraft. The records provide limited insight into the specific allegations or the eventual outcome of his trial, noting only his identification and the chronological context of the proceedings. By situating Alexander within the judicial framework of 1707, these records reflect the intersection of individual experience and the intense societal pressures that characterised this complex period of Scottish legal history.