In April 1662, the name of the mother of Robertson, a resident of Nisbet in Haddington, was drawn into the judicial machinery of the Scottish witch trials. Her accusation emerged as part of a significant wave of denunciations initiated by James Welch. Although Welch was determined by the authorities to be too young to stand formal trial, his testimony—which included a wide-ranging list of people he identified as participants in witchcraft—was treated with serious legal consideration. Consequently, the legal system acted upon his statements, leading to the identification and subsequent imprisonment of the mother of Robertson.
The record (C/EGD/504) highlights the complex interplay between individual accusations and communal alarm during this period. While Robertson's mother was not the primary source of the allegations, her fate became inextricably linked to the confession provided by the youth. Under the protocols of the time, the gravity with which the authorities regarded Welch’s claims ensured that those he named, including Robertson's mother, were brought into custody to answer for their suspected involvement in illicit supernatural activities as outlined in case T/LA/1345.