On 18 July 1661, John Scot, a married man residing in the village of Duddingston, near Edinburgh, provided a formal confession that would ultimately bring him before the courts. His testimony, recorded approximately one month prior to his official indictment, placed him at the heart of legal proceedings during a period of intense judicial scrutiny regarding folk practices and perceived maleficium. While the broader biographical details surrounding John remain sparse in the extant records, his confession serves as the primary document linking him to the escalating concerns of the Scottish authorities during that summer.
Following this admission, formal proceedings were initiated against him on 20 August 1661 under case reference C/LA/2785. The specific charge levelled against him was attendance at a meeting of witches, a common accusation in the legal frameworks of the mid-seventeenth century. John subsequently appeared for trial in Edinburgh, documented under records T/JO/395 and T/LA/316. Despite the gravity of these proceedings, the surviving archives offer little information regarding the final verdict or the specific conclusion of his case, leaving his historical footprint defined by his presence at this clandestine gathering and the ensuing legal response of the Edinburgh courts.