What happened to Martha Corey in the Salem witch trials?
The Witchcraft Trial of Martha Corey. Martha Corey, wife of Salem Village farmer Giles Corey, was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
What was Martha Corey accused of?
Jump to navigation Jump to search. Martha Corey (1619 or 1620 – September 22, 1692) was accused and convicted of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials, alongside her second husband, Giles Corey. The community was surprised to see Corey accused, as she was known for her piety and dedicated church attendance.
How old was Martha Corey when she died?
Martha Corey at a Glance Known for: Hanged as a witch in the 1692 Salem witch trials Age at time of Salem witch trials: In her 70s Dates: About 1618 - Sept. 22, 1692 Also known as: Martha Corree, Martha Cory, Martha Kory, Goodie Corie, Mattha Corie
What happened to Giles Corey and Martha Corey?
Giles Corey was pressed to death on September 17–19, a method of torture intended to force an accused person to enter a plea, which he refused to do. It did result, however, in his sons-in-law inheriting his property. Martha Corey was among those hanged on Gallows Hill on September 22, 1692.
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Why did Martha Corey get accused of witchcraft?
In the play, Martha Corey is suspected of being a witch by her husband when he tells Reverend John Hale that she stays up late at night reading strange books. Her character is officially accused of witchcraft after she sells a pig to a neighbor and then the pig mysteriously dies.
Who was pressed to death in 1692?
Giles CoreyHe was subjected to pressing in an effort to force him to plead—the only example of such a sanction in American history—and died after three days of this torture....Giles CoreyDiedSeptember 19, 1692 (aged 81) Salem, Province of Massachusetts BayCause of deathPressed to DeathOccupationFarmer7 more rows
What happened to Giles and Martha Corey?
At the edge of Crystal Lake on Lowell Street in West Peabody stand two memorial stones honoring Giles and Martha Corey, the only couple executed during the Salem Witchcraft Trials. The area was part of the 150 acres that Giles Corey owned before his death.
Who was the youngest person to be executed in the Salem Witch Trials?
Dorothy GoodBornca. 1687/1688Diedafter 1721Other namesDorcas GoodKnown forYoungest accused of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials2 more rows
What are Corey's final words?
In the literature about Giles Corey's tortuous death, there is reference to his famous last words, "more weight." These words were uttered as a final attempt to expedite his death while also showing that not even imminent death could convince him to go to trial.
Why did Giles Corey died?
Giles did not want his property to be taken, so he never plead either way. On the third day 19 September 1692 he died from being pressed to death. His last words were “more weight.”
Who was the first witch in Salem?
In Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Bridget Bishop, the first colonist to be tried in the Salem witch trials, is hanged after being found guilty of the practice of witchcraft.
Who was pressed to death in the crucible?
Giles Corey“Monday; Sept-19th 1692. Abt noon, at Salem, Giles Corey was pressed to death for standing mute Much pains was used with him two days one after another by ye court & Capt. Gardner of Nantucket who had been his acquaintance: but all in vain.
What does Pressed mean in the Salem witch trials?
For thousands of years, accused criminals were subjected to being pressed or crushed to death, most famously during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Library of CongressIllustration of Giles Corey being pressed to death.
How was Giles Corey pressed?
Corey was pressed to death by Captain John Gardner of Nantucket in an empty field on Howard Street, which was next to the jail in Salem Village, between September 17 and 19, 1692 (Brown 1985, p. 290). Peine forte et dure was abolished in England in 1772, during the reign of King George III (12 Geo.
Who dies at the end of the Crucible?
The Crucible ends with John Proctor marching off to a martyr's death. By refusing to lie and confess to witchcraft, he sacrifices his life in the name of truth. At the end of the play, Proctor has in some way regained his goodness.
Early Life
Martha Panon Corey, (whose name was spelled Martha Corree, Martha Cory, Martha Kory, Goodie Corie, Mattha Corie) was born about 1618 (various sources list anywhere from 1611 to 1620). Little is known about her life outside the records of the trials, and the information is confusing at best.
The Salem Witch Trials
In March 1692, Giles Corey insisted on attending one of the examinations at Nathaniel Ingersoll's tavern. Martha Corey, who had expressed skepticism about the existence of witches and even the devil to neighbors, tried to stop him, and Giles told others about the incident. On March 12, Ann Putnam Jr. reported that she had seen Martha's specter.
Timeline of the Accusations
On April 14, Mercy Lewis claimed that Giles Corey had appeared to her as a specter and forced her to sign the devil's book. Giles Corey, who defended his wife's innocence, was arrested on April 18 by George Herrick, the same day Bridget Bishop, Abigail Hobbs, and Mary Warren were arrested.
Martha Corey After the Trials
On February 14, 1703, Salem Village church proposed revoking the excommunication of Martha Corey; a majority supported it but there were six or seven dissenters. The entry at the time implied that the motion failed but a later entry, with more details of the resolution, implied that it had passed.
Martha Corey in 'The Crucible'
Arthur Miller's version of Martha Corey, based loosely on the real Martha Corey, has her accused by her husband of being a witch for her reading habits.
Early life and marriages
Martha Corey was born in 1619 or 1620 somewhere within New England. More than 20 years later, Martha Corey had an illegitimate, mixed race son named Benoni. Benoni was thought to be mulatto and represented living proof of Corey's checkered past. Benoni lived with Corey and her husband Giles, so town members were aware of this situation.
Salem witch trials
The community was surprised to see Corey accused, as she was known for her piety and dedicated church attendance, and had been officially admitted to the Salem Village Church in 1691. She had never shown support for the witch trials, since she did not believe witches or warlocks existed.
In popular culture
Martha and Giles Corey are the central characters in Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman 's play, Giles Corey, Yeoman, where Martha appears as a wronged innocent and Giles does not accuse her (instead the magistrates twist his words to implicate her).
Early Life
The Salem Witch Trials
- In March 1692, Giles Corey insisted on attending one of the examinations at Nathaniel Ingersoll's tavern. Martha Corey, who had expressed skepticism about the existence of witches and even the devil to neighbors, tried to stop him, and Giles told others about the incident. On March 12, Ann Putnam Jr. reported that she had seen Martha's specter. Two...
Timeline of The Accusations
- On April 14, Mercy Lewis claimed that Giles Corey had appeared to her as a specter and forced her to sign the devil's book. Giles Corey, who defended his wife's innocence, was arrested on April 18 by George Herrick, the same day Bridget Bishop, Abigail Hobbs, and Mary Warren were arrested. Abigail Hobbs and Mercy Lewis named Giles Corey as a witch during the examination t…
Martha Corey After The Trials
- On February 14, 1703, Salem Villagechurch proposed revoking the excommunication of Martha Corey; a majority supported it but there were six or seven dissenters. The entry at the time implied that the motion failed but a later entry, with more details of the resolution, implied that it had passed. In 1711, the Massachusetts legislature passed an act reversing the attainder—restoring …
Martha Corey in 'The Crucible'
- Arthur Miller'sversion of Martha Corey, based loosely on the real Martha Corey, has her accused by her husband of being a witch for her reading habits.
Sources
- Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. "The Witchcraft Trial of Martha Corey." History of Massachusetts Blog, August 31, 2015.
- Burrage, Henry Sweetser, Albert Roscoe Stubbs. "Cleaves." Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine, Volume 1. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1909. 94–99.
- DuBois, Constance Goddard. "Martha Corey: A Tale of the Salem Witchcraft." Chicago: A.C. M…
- Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. "The Witchcraft Trial of Martha Corey." History of Massachusetts Blog, August 31, 2015.
- Burrage, Henry Sweetser, Albert Roscoe Stubbs. "Cleaves." Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine, Volume 1. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1909. 94–99.
- DuBois, Constance Goddard. "Martha Corey: A Tale of the Salem Witchcraft." Chicago: A.C. McClurg and Company, 1890.
- Miller, Arthur. "The Crucible." New York: Penguin Books, 2003.
Overview
Martha Corey (1619 or 1620 – September 22, 1692) was accused and convicted of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials, on September 9, 1692, and was hanged on September 22, 1692. Her second husband, Giles Corey, was also accused.
Early life and marriages
Martha Corey was born in 1619 or 1620 somewhere within New England. More than 20 years later, Martha Corey had an illegitimate, mixed race son named Benoni. Benoni was thought to be mulatto and represented living proof of Corey's checkered past. Benoni lived with Corey and her husband Giles, so town members were aware of this situation.
Corey married Henry Rich in 1684 and had a second son named Thomas Rich. After the death o…
Salem witch trials
The community was surprised to see Corey accused, as she was known for her piety and dedicated church attendance, and had been officially admitted to the Salem Village Church in 1691. She had never shown support for the witch trials, since she did not believe witches or warlocks existed. She publicly denounced the witch trials as well as the judges who were involved in the various cases. She was outspoken in her belief that the accusers were lying, and upon hearing this, two …
In popular culture
In John Neal's 1828 novel Rachel Dyer, Martha Corey is depicted as aloof and lacking the mental capacity to understand her legal predicament during her trial. After protagonist George Burroughs fails to defend her in court, the attention of the accusers turn to him and he is convicted and executed as a result. Martha and Giles Corey are the central characters in Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman's play, Giles Corey, Yeoman, where Martha appears as a wronged innocent and Giles d…
Sources
• Upham, Charles (1980). Salem Witchcraft. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 2 vv., v. 1 p. 190, v. 2 pp. 38–42, 43–55, 111, 324, 458, 507.
External links
• The Salem Witch Trials of 1692