In the summer of 1602, Nicole Culsetter, a resident of Shetland, found himself brought before the authorities to answer a charge of witchcraft. On the 7th of August, the legal proceedings took place in Soundbrughe, where the court set out the specific terms for his defense. Under the judicial customs of the time, Nicole was required to "dempt to quite tham selffis," a procedural mechanism that allowed an accused individual to clear their name through the corroboration of their local community.
To secure his discharge from the court, Nicole was ordered to provide a "saxter aith," an oath supported by six of his neighbors who were required to swear to his innocence. Furthermore, the court mandated the payment of a 6 merk silver fine. This case reflects the rigid legal frameworks of early seventeenth-century Shetland, where the reliance on communal testimony played a pivotal role in the formal resolution of such accusations.