In May 1591, the legal records of Haddington documented the commencement of a formal proceeding against Duncan Buchquahanne. As a male resident of the burgh, Duncan found himself caught within the escalating mechanisms of the Scottish judicial system during a period of intense focus on perceived diabolical activity. The case, formally catalogued as C/EGD/88, identifies him as the subject of an investigation that would eventually transition into a legal trial under the reference T/LA/956.
The documentation surrounding Duncan provides a precise chronological anchor for his entanglement with the Haddington authorities, beginning on the 8th of May. While the existing records are brief, they highlight the standard procedural progression of the era, moving from the initial registration of the case to the formal trial setting. Duncan remains a distinct figure within the broader study of sixteenth-century Scottish witchcraft trials, illustrating how the legal machinery of the time engaged with individuals across the social and gender spectrums of the burgh.