Andrew Robisoun, a resident of Renfrew, found himself embroiled in the intense and perilous climate of the Scottish witch trials in the mid-17th century. On the 26th of February, 1650, records indicate that Andrew was formally accused of witchcraft, a charge that could lead to severe consequences given the period's fraught religious and social dynamics. During this time, Scotland was steeped in a cultural milieu that often conflated anomalies in nature or misfortune with malevolent, supernatural interference. Men, although less commonly than women, were sometimes ensnared by the same allegations that fuelled the broader witch trials sweeping the nation.
The trial of Andrew Robisoun, designated as T/LA/1101, would have unfolded amidst meticulous scrutiny, with community members possibly called to provide testimony against him. Such trials typically involved inquiries into the accused's behavior and associations, with confessions often extracted under duress or through persuasive interrogations. Although the specifics of Andrew's trial proceedings and outcome are not extant in the limited records available, his experience would have been shaped by the intersection of fear, folklore, and emergent legal frameworks of the time. Accusations such as his reflected deeper societal tensions and were influenced by prevailing beliefs regarding the devil's influence and the identification of witches within the local populace.