In the spring of 1591, Gilbert McGill, a resident of the burgh of Haddington, became the subject of a formal legal proceeding under the Scottish witchcraft statutes of the late sixteenth century. Recorded in the judicial archives under case reference C/EGD/82, Gilbert was brought before the court on May 8, 1591, to face allegations concerning his conduct and spiritual associations. During this period of heightened administrative and judicial concern regarding supernatural threats, his residence in Haddington placed him within the jurisdiction of a legal system that treated such accusations with the utmost gravity.
The subsequent legal process, detailed in trial records T/LA/1109 and T/LA/962, followed the prescribed parliamentary procedures for the prosecution of witchcraft. Upon the conclusion of these proceedings, the court returned a verdict of guilty against Gilbert. Following the established practices of the era, the sentence of execution was carried out, marking the final entry in the documented history of his case.