In the early 17th century, a wave of suspicion swept across Scotland, reaching into small communities such as Newbattle, a village near Edinburgh. Within this atmosphere of fear and anxiety, Michaell Erskine, a miller of middling social status, found himself at the center of an extraordinary spectacle. Living at Newbattle Milne, Michaell's life was deeply rooted in the local economy and the rhythm of village life. However, his position did not shield him from being implicated in witchcraft, a charge that would have a profound consequence.
Michaell was apprehended and subjected to incarceration 'in a little hous abone the end of Newbottle Kirk,' indicating that his imprisonment was not in a conventional gaol but in a smaller, perhaps hastily arranged, holding place likely designed to isolate and intimidate. On May 11, 1629, within the confines of such an environment, Michaell confessed to veritable crimes of witchcraft, although the records do not detail the specific content of his confession. This confession was extracted following the use of sleep deprivation, a common method employed during Scottish witch trials to elicit admissions of guilt.
By April 2, 1630, the tide of the judicial process had swept Michaell to Edinburgh, where his trial took place. The outcome was decisively grim, with a guilty verdict leading to a sentence of execution. The manner of execution - being strangled and then burned - was emblematic of the era's harsh practices, intended to serve both justice and deterrence. Michaell Erskine's story, encapsulated within these records, stands as a poignant reminder of the human cost of the witch trials that scarred the fabric of early modern Scotland.