The life of John Robertson, a resident of Govan in Lanark, became precariously intertwined with the witch trials that swept through his parish in the spring of 1699. John’s family background suggests a household already touched by the suspicion of the local community, as his mother had previously faced accusations of witchcraft, and his kin, including Janet Robertson and Anna Hill, were similarly linked to the unfolding investigations. At the time of his own denunciation, John was already fatherless, leaving him and his mother to navigate the social upheaval of these proceedings without the stability of his father’s protection.
The focus fell upon John on April 22, 1699, when he was named by Margaret Murdoch, the daughter of John Murdoch of Craigtown. Margaret, who claimed to be tormented by witches, instigated a broad wave of accusations that implicated many people within Govan, drawing the attention of both medical and ecclesiastical authorities as they examined her claims. While John was clearly identified by the girl and faced further scrutiny when a man testified against him in Glasgow that same day, the archival record remains inconclusive regarding his ultimate fate. Despite being explicitly named in witness testimony, there is no documented evidence that formal legal proceedings were ever initiated against him, leaving the final outcome of his case obscured by the silence of the surviving records.