In April 1662, Edward Dickson of Haddington became entangled in the widespread judicial fervor of the Scottish witch trials. His arrest followed a series of denunciations made by James Welch, whose testimony initiated a cascade of accusations against numerous individuals during that period. As the legal proceedings unfolded under case reference C/EGD/488, authorities faced a procedural complication regarding the boy’s status: despite the gravity of the allegations, Edward was deemed too young to undergo a formal trial.
Consequently, while he was spared the full judicial process, Edward remained in custody, as the authorities determined that his detention was necessary. Despite his youth, the magistrates and clergy involved in the case did not dismiss his involvement entirely; his own confession, along with the information he provided to denounce others, was recorded and treated with administrative seriousness. Through these records, T/LA/1354 documents the precarious position Edward occupied within the local legal apparatus, serving as a reminder of how the mechanisms of the era integrated even the youngest witnesses into the broader scope of its investigations.