In the turbulent era of the Scottish witch trials, a man named John Crisbie, hailing from Roxburgh, found himself entangled in the web of accusations that rippled through society. On the 24th of May, 1671, John was implicated in a case recorded as C/EGD/811. This period was marked by a complex and often volatile atmosphere in which suspicion and fear of witchcraft could envelop individuals without substantial proof.
According to surviving trial notes documented under T/LA/1166, the circuit court did not proceed to imprison John Crisbie indefinitely. Instead, on the same day his case was recorded, the decision was made to release John under specific conditions. The court cautioned him to remain available and prepared to appear for trial in Edinburgh should the need arise. This conditional release suggests that while accusations were deemed significant enough to warrant caution, there may not have been sufficient immediate evidence or urgency to justify his continued detention. The requirement for John to appear in a major center of governance, Edinburgh, underlines the seriousness with which even tentative accusations were treated during this period of Scottish history.