In late December of 1590, John Fean, a school teacher from Preston in Haddington, found himself at the centre of a rather grim proceeding. Historical records reveal that John, previously a resident of Tranent, had reached a middling socioeconomic status in his community. Yet despite his role in education, he was apprehended under the severe suspicion of participating in a witches' meeting—a charge carrying grave consequences at a time when paranoia over witchcraft swept through Scotland with fervour.
The weight of the accusations against John was compounded by his mention in the trials of others, with several individuals referring to him as an accomplice. These individuals, such as Robert Grierson and Agnes Sampsoune, pulled John into a web of allegations concerning the destruction of buildings, boats, crops, and livestock. Despite our modern understanding of these charges, during his trial held in Edinburgh on December 26, 1590, John was found guilty. The records note that a confession was recorded, though the conditions under which it was obtained remain unspecified, hinting at the possibility of torture—a common practice in extracting admissions during the witch trials of this era.
John's story is further entangled with the names of Michael Clark, Katherine Gray, and Marioun Linkup, all of whom also accused him of accomplice-like behaviour in various supernatural misdemeanours. Despite the tumultuous nature of these legal proceedings, the records provide no further details about John's fate following the guilty verdict. His trial serves as a testament to the harrowing complexity of the witch hunts, where community suspicions often amplified into tragic legal actions, shedding light on a turbulent chapter in Scottish history.