In the chilly months of 1633, William Coke, a 50-year-old resident of Kirkcaldy, Fife, found himself embroiled in a perilous legal ordeal that would alter the course of his life permanently. As a married man living in a coastal community, William was a part of a society deeply intertwined with the sea—a lifeline central to both livelihood and sustenance. However, the regular rhythm of life in this bustling town was disrupted when William was accused of witchcraft, a charge borne of suspicion and fear that frequently gripped early modern Scotland.
The records from his trial, held on the 15th of November, 1633, leave certain aspects of the proceedings shrouded in mystery, such as the specific evidence presented against him and the elaboration of the charges. What is clear, however, is that accusations against William included the alleged damage to boats—an offense that would have struck at the heart of Kirkcaldy's maritime community. The manner in which these accusations were proved in the court is not detailed, but the outcome was decisive. The court in Fife returned a verdict of guilty, sealing William's fate.
On the 17th of December, the adjudged penalty was carried out; William Coke was executed by the grim method of strangulation followed by burning, a customary punishment for those convicted of witchcraft at the time. Such executions were public spectacles, intending both to purge the supposed evil and to serve as a stark warning to the community. Thus, William Coke, with scarce details remaining of his personal life or the precise nature of the evidence against him, became another figure in the sombre history of Scottish witch trials, a period wrought with turbulence and fear.