In April 1597, James Og, a thirty-year-old resident of Lumphanan in Aberdeen, found himself subject to legal proceedings under the charge of witchcraft. According to the archival records (case C/JO/3107), the accusations brought against him did not emerge suddenly; rather, they were rooted in a series of suspicions that had persisted for approximately five years. At the time of his appearance before the court, James was noted to be thirty years of age, marking a history of community concern that dated back to his mid-twenties.
The specific grievances cited in the trial (T/JO/1539) focused upon allegations of property damage, which were central to the prosecution’s case against him. The charges stipulated that James had exerted a malevolent influence over the agricultural and domestic stability of his neighbors, specifically linking him to the mysterious decline of dairy production and the destruction of local crops. These documented losses formed the core of the testimony presented against James during the proceedings, reflecting the period's pervasive anxieties regarding the perceived supernatural interference in the vital resources of rural Scottish life.