In the spring of 1617, the records of the presbytery of Linlithgow directed the attention of the courts toward Patrick Rid, a fifty-year-old married man residing in Bathgate. At this stage in his life, Patrick was a man of established standing within his community, having raised his children to adulthood. His case, cataloged under the reference C/EGD/885, emerged amidst a period of heightened judicial scrutiny regarding witchcraft in the region, marking the beginning of a formal process that would soon alter the trajectory of his life and family.
By the end of March 1617, the formal procedures against Patrick had been initiated, leading to a significant development on the 23rd of April when the presbytery officially confirmed that a trial was to be held. The proceedings moved forward to the nearby burgh of Linlithgow that same month. While the records T/LA/238 provide the necessary administrative framework for the prosecution, they offer a stark testament to the administrative urgency with which the authorities addressed the accusations brought against him during that spring.