On 22 July 1590, the legal apparatus of the Scottish state focused its attention upon William McGillievray, a resident of Dane in the county of Ross. His case, documented under reference C/EGD/47, emerged during a period of heightened judicial activity regarding the crime of witchcraft. The records indicate that the proceedings against him were not confined to a single venue; rather, his legal journey involved two distinct trial processes, catalogued separately under T/JO/2123 and T/LA/897.
The documentary evidence confirms that William was subject to a multi-stage prosecution, a common feature for individuals accused during the intense scrutiny of late sixteenth-century Scottish courts. While the specific nature of the charges brought against him remains implicit within the bureaucratic shorthand of the surviving records, the activation of two separate trial references underscores the gravity with which the authorities in Ross treated his case. Through these extant files, William remains a recorded participant in the rigorous judicial culture that defined the witch trials of the early modern period.