Wells, Maine under Siege: June 11, 1692

Wells, Maine under Siege: June 11, 1692

June 11, 1692: New Essex Justices Sworn as Wells, Maine Faces Siege in King William’s WarWe track the Salem Witch Trials and the wider New England crisis on Saturday, June 11, 1692. In Boston, John Higginson Jr., son of Salem’s senior minister, and Dudley Bradstreet, son of former Governor Simon Bradstreet, are sworn in as justices of the peace for Essex County. Far to the east, French and Wabanaki forces lay siege to Wells, Maine, where accused witch George Burroughs had once served as minister. Captain James Converse and 15 soldiers repel two assaults on the garrison houses, while sailors extinguish fires from flaming arrows aimed at sloops in the creek. As Wells braces through a sleepless night, we connect the attack to King William’s War (1687–1696) and the destruction of Maine settlements, including Falmouth (now Portland).00:00 Daily Introduction00:13 New Essex Justices00:29 Siege of Wells Maine01:00 King William's War Context01:19 Burroughs and the Frontier

The Hanging of Bridget Bishop: June 10, 1692

On June 10, 1692 Bridget Bishop became the first to be executed in the Salem Witch Trials when she was hanged at Proctor’s Ledge in Salem. While Boston’s General Court carried on and Governor Sir William Phips appointed a committee to revise Massachusetts laws, fear rippled across the region—from Wells, Maine, where Captain James Converse guarded supply sloops after cattle returned bloodied, to Salem, where Sheriff George Corwin led Bishop from jail to the hanging site. A crowd gathered, the afflicted reported spectral attacks, and Beverly minister John Hale recorded Quaker Thomas Maule’s harsh condemnation. With a slow strangling noose and blood finally shed, the witch-hunt crossed a point of no return, putting the remaining accused on notice.00:00 Welcome to the Series00:10 Midsummer in 169200:18 Boston Court Business00:29 Tension in Wells Maine00:50 Bridget Bishop Taken01:07 Procter's Ledge Execution01:21 A Crowd and Specters01:37 How the Hanging Worked01:54 John Hale and Thomas Maule02:11 No Turning Back * Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCliis4vjMIUgg3wcA0pXeYQ/ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCliis4vjMIUgg3wcA0pXeYQ/] * ⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/⁠ [https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/%E2%81%A0] * ⁠The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.com⁠ [about:blank] * ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com⁠ [about:blank] * ⁠Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780375706905⁠ [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780375706905%E2%81%A0] * Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781107689619⁠ [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781107689619%E2%81%A0] * ⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience:  [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805%E2%81%A0] * https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805⁠ [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805%E2%81%A0] * ⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781589791329⁠ [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781589791329%E2%81%A0] * High Quality Scans of Original Court Documents - Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection: https://pem.quartexcollections.com/collections/salem-witch-trials-collection [https://pem.quartexcollections.com/collections/salem-witch-trials-collection]

The Specter of Giles Cory Attends a Lecture: June 9, 1692

June 9, 1692: Giles Cory’s Specter at the Lecture We take you straight into Salem on Thursday, June 9, 1692, where later testimony claims Giles Cory’s specter showed up at the lecture held the day before Bridget Bishop was hanged. Mary Walcott and Elizabeth Woodwell—identified as a 33-year-old married woman—report seeing the apparition, a reminder that the “afflicted” in the Salem Witch Trials weren’t limited to young girls, teens, or the unmarried. Salem Witch Trials Daily brings a quick, focused hit of primary-source-driven history, spotlighting spectral evidence, witness accounts, and the tense religious atmosphere surrounding Bridget Bishop’s execution. Chapters: Opening & date stamp (00:00); Specter at the lecture (00:10); Who saw it—Mary Walcott and Elizabeth Woodwell (00:25); Rethinking the profile of the afflicted (00:45). 00:00 Daily Introduction 00:14 Giles Cory Specter 00:30 Afflicted Not Just Girls * Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCliis4vjMIUgg3wcA0pXeYQ/ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCliis4vjMIUgg3wcA0pXeYQ/] * ⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/⁠ [https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/%E2%81%A0] * ⁠The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.com⁠ [about:blank] * ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com⁠ [about:blank] * ⁠Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780375706905⁠ [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780375706905%E2%81%A0] * Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781107689619⁠ [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781107689619%E2%81%A0] * ⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience:  [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805%E2%81%A0] * https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805⁠ [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805%E2%81%A0] * ⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781589791329⁠ [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781589791329%E2%81%A0] * High Quality Scans of Original Court Documents - Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection: https://pem.quartexcollections.com/collections/salem-witch-trials-collection [https://pem.quartexcollections.com/collections/salem-witch-trials-collection]

The Warrant for the Execution of Bridget Bishop: June 8, 1692

Show Notes June 8, 1692. The day the legal machinery of colonial Massachusetts shifted from courtroom accusations to state-sanctioned execution. A newly formed provincial government has convened in Boston, and the first death warrant has been signed. Beyond the courtroom, terrifying spectral testimonies are mounting, and a prominent justice has just walked away from the bench in protest. The bureaucratic trap has snapped shut on its first victim. Our focus centers on the terrifying turning point where words became lethal. We trace the exact moment the legal system formalized its deadliest phase, revealing the unique, chilling distinction of Bridget Bishop's sentence and the immediate institutional fracture that threatened to tear the court apart from within. * 00:00 – Voices from the Grave * Uncover the unsettling June testimony where spectral apparitions allegedly named their killer. * We explore the specific grievances of ghosts demanding justice from beyond the grave. * 01:00 – The Signing of the Death Warrant * The newly convened general court takes formal, lethal action in Boston. * We dissect the exact, devastating charges of witchcraft brought against Bridget Bishop. * Chief Justice William Stoughton issues a strict deadline for the colony's first hanging. * 02:00 – A Dangerous Precedent and Judicial Revolt * Discover why Bridget Bishop’s upcoming execution stands entirely alone in the history of these trials. * A sudden, high-profile resignation shakes the Court of Oyer and Terminer to its core. * Access our exclusive deep-dive playlists and bonus content to uncover the full story. Ready to dig deeper into the cold realities of 1692? Follow the links in our show notes to explore our curated Bridget Bishop playlist on YouTube and our latest feature from The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials. Keywords: Salem Witch Trials, Bridget Bishop execution, Court of Oyer and Terminer, 1692 legal system, Chief Justice William Stoughton, Martha Cory spectral evidence, Nathaniel Saltonstall resignation, colonial true crime podcast. * Bridget Bishop YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz33kJfelxI&list=PLIz3vKHO9eBoz5tcU6y14FQ6WRAVFyTUo [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz33kJfelxI&list=PLIz3vKHO9eBoz5tcU6y14FQ6WRAVFyTUo] * Bridget Bishop: The First Person Executed in the Salem Witch Trials: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bridget-bishop-the-first-person-executed-in-the/id1812826945?i=1000771514762 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bridget-bishop-the-first-person-executed-in-the/id1812826945?i=1000771514762] * Bridget Bishop's Trial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHWulGtwyfc [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHWulGtwyfc] * Men Accuse Bridget Bishop of Invading their Rooms at Night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2cyMF86vzc [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2cyMF86vzc] * Giles Cory, Abigail Hobbs, Mary Warren, and Bridget Bishop are Questioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hhcPlF-SEY [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hhcPlF-SEY] * Bridget Bishop was an Afterthought when 3 other High Profile Witchcraft Suspects were Arrested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-smJW7SFF0 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-smJW7SFF0] * Bridget Bishop and Mary Warren Accused of Witchcraft: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCrx2LVAOPs [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCrx2LVAOPs] * Bridget Bishop Day Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOocStbIocM [https://studio.youtube.com/video/BOocStbIocM/edit] * Bridget Bishop’s Death Warrant Video: https://youtu.be/ZyBMGcrDRc0 [https://youtu.be/ZyBMGcrDRc0] * Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCliis4vjMIUgg3wcA0pXeYQ/ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCliis4vjMIUgg3wcA0pXeYQ/] * ⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/⁠ [https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/%E2%81%A0] * ⁠The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.com⁠ [about:blank] * ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com⁠ [about:blank] * ⁠Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780375706905⁠ [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780375706905%E2%81%A0] * Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781107689619⁠ [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781107689619%E2%81%A0] * ⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience:  [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805%E2%81%A0] * https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805⁠ [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805%E2%81%A0] * ⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781589791329⁠ [https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781589791329%E2%81%A0] * High Quality Scans of Original Court Documents - Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection: https://pem.quartexcollections.com/collections/salem-witch-trials-collection [https://pem.quartexcollections.com/collections/salem-witch-trials-collection]

Oxen Run Diabolically and Job Tookey is Examined: June 7, 1692

June 7, 1692: Job Tookey’s Second Examination and John Allen’s Deposition Against Susannah MartinWe’re back with Salem Witch Trials Daily as we drop into Tuesday, June 7, 1692, where Job Tookey endures a second examination marked by the afflicted collapsing at his gaze and the touch test seemingly “working” once he touches their hands and wrists. Mary Warren, Susannah Sheldon, Elizabeth Booth Jr., and Mary Walcott escalate the spectacle with claims of poppets, pins, and a courtroom filled with ghosts in winding sheets—naming Gamaliel Hawkins, Andrew Woodbury, Trask’s child, and others crying for vengeance. Meanwhile, Magistrate Robert Pike records John Allen’s deposition against Susannah Martin, centering on an old dispute over hauling staves and a chilling aftermath: oxen said to run “diabolically” into the sea, leaving 13 lost.