In the spring of 1699, William Kellie, a resident of Paisley, found himself caught within the escalating legal and social turbulence of the Renfrewshire witch trials. His name was brought into the public consciousness by Margaret Murdoch, the daughter of John Murdoch of Craigtown, who claimed to be tormented by a local coven. As Margaret underwent rigorous examinations by a panel of ministers and a physician—an interrogation that saw her name a wide array of individuals—William was among those identified as a suspected participant in these alleged supernatural activities.
Despite these accusations, the archival records concerning William remain curiously unresolved. While an individual in Glasgow provided testimony against him on April 22, 1699, there is no evidence that formal judicial proceedings were ever initiated against him. Although he was entangled in the witness testimony that defined the broader legal pursuit of witches in the region, the records offer no further details on his fate, leaving his eventual standing within the community to the silence of the historical narrative.