In the spring of 1697, twelve-year-old Thomas Lindsay found himself drawn into the judicial machinery surrounding the witch trials in Renfrew. A resident of Blackhall in the parish of Erskine, Thomas was caught within an investigation that saw a large group of individuals facing serious accusations. Although he had provided a confession in February of that year, the legal proceedings treated him with a distinct measure of caution due to his youth. While the broader trial began on April 13 and continued intermittently through May, Thomas was never formally indicted; the authorities deemed him too young to have entered into a viable or legally binding pact with the Devil.
Ultimately, the law’s interpretation of his age served as a reprieve. While seven others were brought to trial and stood before the court until the final proceedings on May 19, 1697, Thomas was spared this experience. Instead, he and his fourteen-year-old brother were repurposed by the court as witnesses rather than defendants. Following his mention in the closing arguments of the final trial day, Thomas was released. His case reflects the specific complexities of the Scottish legal framework regarding age and moral culpability during this period, leaving the young boy on the periphery of the events that claimed so many others.