In the spring of 1662, the legal machinery of the Scottish witch trials turned its attention to John Robertson, a married man residing in the community of Leathen, within the parish of Auldearn in Nairn. Recorded in the judicial archives under case reference C/EGD/468, John was brought forward on the 14th of April 1662. At a time when the localized kirk sessions and civil courts were increasingly preoccupied with the perceived threat of maleficium, his appearance marked the beginning of a formal inquiry into his conduct and alleged spiritual allegiances.
Following his initial appearance, the matter moved toward the trial phase as documented in reference T/LA/1857. The proceedings against John occurred against the backdrop of the intense, widespread witch-hunting fervor that swept through the north-east of Scotland during the mid-seventeenth century. Throughout the legal process, John remained defined in the court records by his residence in Leathen and his status as a married man, details that anchored his identity within the social fabric of Auldearn even as he faced the grave accusations that had brought him before the authorities.