In 1662, George Binnie, a young man from Haddington who worked as a servant to a minister's wife, became caught up in the widespread legal proceedings against those accused of witchcraft. His involvement began when he was denounced by James Welch, a figure central to a wave of accusations that swept through the region during that year. As part of a larger group of individuals implicated by Welch, George was brought before the authorities to answer for his alleged participation in these activities.
Due to his youth, George was deemed ineligible to undergo a formal trial, and he remained held in imprisonment rather than facing the court directly. Despite this legal protection afforded by his age, the depositions taken from him were considered significant by the local magistrates. Both his personal confession and the specific denunciations he offered against others were treated as credible evidence, highlighting the complex role young people occasionally played in the unfolding narratives of the 1662 witch trials.