In the summer of 1650, the parish of Pencaitland in Haddington became the site of a significant legal proceeding involving a man named Robert Dollar. On June 26, 1650, Robert was formally processed as one of eight individuals accused of witchcraft. In an era when such accusations were frequently managed through collective legal action, his inclusion within this larger group suggests that his case was part of a concentrated effort by local authorities to address allegations of maleficium or diabolical pacts within the community.
While the surviving archives—specifically case C/JO/2734 and trial record T/JO/182—contain limited narrative context regarding the nature of the specific charges brought against him, the records confirm that Robert underwent the formal judicial process. Crucially, a confession was secured from him on the same day he was processed, June 26, 1650. Despite the scarcity of details regarding the content of this admission, the existence of the document marks Robert as an official participant in the intense period of witch-hunting that defined the Scottish judicial landscape during the mid-seventeenth century.