However, the role of many people in the witch hunts of that time was talked about. Local elites were responsible for witch hunts and before judges took over the trials, they were also responsible for witch trials similar to the Weir trials. The local level according to the people was similar to the religious authority, these were ordinary people such as ministers, landowners, magistrates and religious elites. Within the Weir trials, there were many witnesses and local community members who contributed to the trials, mostly religious members of the community such as Reverend Fraser and Master John Sinclair. The locals were the members of the communities who contributed to the convictions of Thomas and Jane as well as the people who “treated” the prisoners. Thomas and Jane were visited by numerous local authority figures such as clergy, lay people, doctors, lawyers, compliant and non-compliant ministers, thus enabling local people to experience and