In the coastal burgh of Pittenweem, Fife, the spring of 1597 saw the case of David Zeman brought before the judicial authorities. Recorded under case reference C/EGD/2504, David was swept into the intensive legal scrutiny that characterized this period of Scottish history. On the 5th of May, 1597, official documentation confirms his involvement in the legal proceedings surrounding the suspicion of witchcraft, an era marked by heightened anxieties regarding the influence of the supernatural within the community.
The archival evidence regarding David remains focused on his inclusion within these administrative records. While historical scholarship, such as the references noted by MacDonald, suggests a broader context for these Pittenweem proceedings, the specific record for David serves primarily to place him within the formal machinery of the Scottish justice system during this volatile year. As a resident of a town deeply affected by the panics of the late sixteenth century, David stands as a recorded subject of the era’s rigorous, localized efforts to address perceived deviations from established ecclesiastical and civil order.