"The Magistrates, Ministers, Jewries, and all the People in general, being so much enraged and incensed against us by the Delusion of the Devil, which we can term no other, by reason we know in our own Consciences, we are all Innocent Persons."
-- John Proctor, written on July 23, 1692 while he was imprisoned. He was hanged in Salem Towne on August 19, 1692.
BRIDGET BISHOP
Bridget Bishop lived differently than many other women in the Salem town. There is little information about her childhood, but there are some sources that state that she was born sometime in the early to mid 1630s as Bridget Wasslbe (spelling differs). She had a total of three husbands by the time of her death. Her second marriage was to Thomas Oliver after the death of her first husband in 1666. Her relationship with Oliver was not peaceful. They were known to have arguments, and she had been physically abused. One of her accusations as a witch came from the belief that the devil had made her a bad wife. Her third marriage was to Edward Bishop, a wood cutter.
In town, she was known for her more provocative dress in Puritan culture. She would occasionally wear the traditional dress, a white and black dress with a cap to cover her hair. When she is not wearing this dress, she would wear a red bodice with colorful lace looping through it (A bodice is very similar to a corset). Aside from her clothing, she was different from the other women in the town because she was in charge of two taverns. Additionally, she was known for gambling, hosting forbidden games in the tavern, gossiping and talking with men in the town. For these reasons, many of the men and women in the town targeted her as a witch. She was officially accused April 1692, where she was given an examination for witchcraft. Bridget Bishop was the first women tried as a witch in a newly established court. During her trial, she gave a testimony stating that she did not know what defined a witch and that she was ultimately not a witch. However, this could not persuade the court. She was given an execution date for June 10 in 1692. As she was prepared for the noose, she continued to pronounce that she was innocent and remained calm. Being the first women to be executed for witchcraft established the frenzy that became the Salem witch trials. She set the standards for the next nineteen accusations for both women and men. |