A2 HISTORY – The Witch-crazes – The Salem Witch Trials

New England background:

Religiously and culturally:

 English Puritanism was dominant across many northern areas, as was Anglicanism in the
south – hunts tended to occur in the Puritan areas. English colonists brought with them their
desire for a holy state, with New England being a practical theocracy in inception.
 English colonists brought with them their ideas surrounding witchcraft – notably,
accusations of maleficium rather than diabolism; the executions that had occurred pre-
Salem primarily focused around this, and centred on community relationships and
antisocial individuals.
 As in England, judges were sceptical, and demanded rigorous evidence – the acquittal rate,
therefore, was high.

Politically:

 New England’s original charter expired in 1684 – this had granted them considerable
religious freedoms, enabling the establishment of a Puritan theocracy. Replaced by a new
charter in 1691, which forced Massachusetts to conform to English law, and allow religious
toleration.
 King William’s War – Fought between English colonists and French-supported Native
Americans; resulted in the deaths of hundreds, and caused a refugee movement to the
Massachusetts area.

Salem:

 Experienced disputes over property, grazing rights and Church privileges.

 Putnam v. Porter feud caused a split within the Salem community; the Putnam’s supporters
were, generally, subsistence farmers, whilst the Porter’s supporters were more commercial.
 Samuel Parris, backed by the Putnam family, was made Minister in 1689; in retaliation, the
Porter family came to dominate the rate committee.

Events leading to the trials:

1. 1692 – Betty Parris, daughter of Parris, and Abigail Williams, Betty’s cousin, both began having
seizures – Dr William Griggs believed that the Devil was influencing them.

2. Other girls who made contact with Betty or Abigail also began having fits –
 Ann Putnam, daughter of Thomas Putnam;
 Mercy Lewis, a servant to the Putnam family;
 Mary Walcott, a niece of the Putnam family;
 Elizabeth Hubbard.

Potential causes:

 Hysteria caused by the fear of Native America raids, smallpox and the Devil.
 Eating mouldy rye bread, infected with ergot, which had similar effects to LSD.
 Asthma attacks.
 However – Biological explanations have been refuted – ergot poisoning would likely
have resulted in death; the fact that all suffered at the same time suggests it was
purposeful (i.e. out of jealousy, spite, tensions or a desire for attention).

3. Mary Sibley, a neighbour of Parris, and Tituba, a Native American wife to one of the Putnam’s slaves,
made a witch’s cake – it was believed that once fed to a dog, the responsible witch would cry out in
pain. Parris accused this use of counter-magic as seeking assistance from the Devil.

4. The girls accused Sarah Good (a beggar and long-suspected witchcraft practiser), Sarah Osborne
(elderly woman who rarely attended church) and Tituba, after seeing their apparitions. The Putnam
family became heavily involved in the trials, encouraging JPs to take action, whilst also participating
in the interrogations.
 5. JPs Corwin and Harthorne, both veteran politicians, oversaw the first hearing. After viewing the girl’s
‘afflictions’ first-hand, the judges were convinced. Good accused Osborne of causing the afflictions;
Tituba admitted that she had contact with the Devil, whilst also admitting that other members of
Salem were part of the diabolical conspiracy. The women were imprisoned.

6. March – Ann Putnam and Abigail Williams accuse Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse; Corey’s
scepticism raised suspicions, whilst the Nurse family had a long-standing quarrel with the Putnam
family. The girls continued accusing many notable members of the community, including former
Reverend Burroughs in April.

7. May – Ann Putnam and Mary Walcott made accusations in Andover, sparking a series of accusations
after their identified 4 witches. Whilst in gaol, many of the accused from Salem admitted to attending
Sabbats (led by Burroughs), and of a diabolical plot in Massachusetts.

By the end of May, 62 people were in custody, both from Salem and surrounding villages. The new
Governor of Massachusetts, William Phips, established the Courts of Oyer (to hear) and Terminar
(to decide) to handle the trials whilst he left for King William’s War.

The trials –
Evidence:

Spectral evidence was the primary form of evidence used during the trials, consisting either of
the accused apparition, or of their familiar. It was believed that cooperation with the Devil
was necessary for a person’s apparition to appear. The Judges, however, were heavily
influenced by English legal procedures (Perkin’s), meaning spectral evidence could be used
to indict, not convict. Those who were executed were accused of maleficium.

The 1st Trials –

 Bridget Bishop was executed (accused by the girls of having a spectre, whilst the
community accused her of long-term witchcraft).
 Rebecca Nurse and John Willard were passed by the Grand Jury, but their trial was
suspended due to scepticism, with many judicial figures not satisfied with the evidence
used.
 Cotton Mather’s, an influential Puritan figure (and who had several encounters with witch-
hunts), was consulted. Mathers, who published several books detailing the threat of witches,
encouraged the judges to complete their work.

The 2nd and 3rd Trials –

 5 women, including Sarah Good and Rebecca Nurse, were found guilty and executed.
 1 woman and 3 men, including George Burroughs (the Puritan minister) were found guilty
and executed.
 Ann Putnam and Mary Walcott once again travelled to Andover, invited by the village’s
constable to identify witches. The three women identified immediately admitted their pact
with the Devil and Sabbat-attendance. Afterwards, the confession rate rose dramatically –
43 out of the 50 accused in Andover confessed; it is believed that many confessed as to not
be executed (only 6 confessors were sent to trial; 1 was executed after he renounced his
confession).

The 4th and 5th Trials –

 Giles Corey refuses to plead, prompting authorities to place heavy stones on him until he
pled; he died two days later.
 8 witches were executed.
End of the Trials –

 Ministerial Opposition –
Many Puritan ministers had opposed the trials since the start. This included Samuel
Willard, a Boston minister, who wrote an anonymous pamphlet detailing his
suspicions regarding the girl’s accusations.

Increase Mather, Cotton Mather’s father, expressed his concerns with the use of
spectral evidence, describing how the quality of evidence for witchcraft should be
the same as for any other felony – Increase’s position as head of Ministerial
association gave his words tremendous clout.

 Governor Phip’s return –

Governor Phips returned to Massachusetts in October 1692. Phips recognised how
the Courts of Oyer and Terminar had failed to contain the hunts, resulting in him
disbanding them.

In their place, the Superior Court of Judicature was established in January 1693.
Despite being headed by the ardent-hunter Stoughton, Phips prevented him from
admitting spectral evidence. The acquittal rate rose dramatically, with only 3 of the
further 31 people indicted being found guilty.

 Stoughton’s resignation –
In reaction to the new court, Stoughton wrote warrants for the execution of the
women remaining without trial – Parris pardoned them all, leading to Stoughton’s
resignation. All those presented to the court afterwards were found not guilty.