While women were of course on the forefront of persecution, men could also be accused of witchcraft. His grandfather is a Putnam. Heres what I got if someone needed to use this for their biblyography. They hanged the poor souls instead. Europe's favorite test was the swimming test. The doctors diagnosis? If you want to learn more about the Salem Witch Trials, check out this article on the best Salem Witch Trials books. William Ives and George W. Pease, 1857Session Laws. The 190th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2001/Chapter122The 1692 Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Museum, www.salemwitchmuseum.com/education/salem-witch-trialsBlumberg, Jess. In January of 2016, the site where the Salem Witch Trials hangings took place was officially identified as Proctors Ledge, which is a small wooded area in between Proctor Street and Pope Street in Salem. Shortly after, two of the girls named the women they believed were bewitching them. As the weeks passed, other young girls claimed to have been infected by witchcraft too. Rebecca Nurses execution was a pivotal moment in the Salem Witch Trials. In 1711, the colony passed a bill restoring some of the names of the convicted witches and paid a total of 600 in restitution to their heirs. Court of Oyer and Terminer Judges:Jonathan CorwinBartholomew GedneyJohn HathorneJohn RichardsWilliam Stoughton, Chief MagistrateSamuel SewallNathaniel SaltonstallPeter SergeantWaitstill Winthrop, The number of people accused and arrested in May surged to over 30 people:Sarah DustinAnn SearsArthur AbbottBethiah Carter SrBethiah Carter JrMary WitheridgeGeorge Jacobs SrMargaret JacobsRebecca JacobsJohn WillardAlice ParkerAnn PudeatorAbigail SoamesSarah BuckelyElizabeth ColsonElizabeth HartThomas Farrar SrRoger ToothakerMary ToothakerMargaret ToothakerSarah ProctorMary DeRichSarah BassettSusannah RootsElizabeth CarySarah PeaseMartha CarrierElizabeth FosdickWilmot ReddElizabeth HoweSarah RiceJohn Alden JrWilliam ProctorJohn Flood. One freezing day in January of 1692, something strange happened inside the Parris household of Salem Village, Massachusetts. When visiting Salem, there are so many entertaining shows that were inspired by the real-life tragedies that took place in this spooky town. Other evidence used in the trials included confessions of the accused, possession of certain items such as poppets, ointments or books on the occult, as well as the presence of an alleged witchs teat, which was a strange mole or blemish, on the accused persons body. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. They took place in a number of cities in Massachusetts Bay Colony in the years 1692 and 1693, but primarily in the town of Salem. As the cart bumps its way towards a hill on the outskirts, the five contemplate their mortality. 6 The Role Of Religion In Witch Trials 135, no. Did the Salem Witch Trials have any affect on the way that the American court systems were designed once the United States became a country? One of the greatest tragedies of the Salem Witch Trials was the concept of the familiars. While the Salem of today is a thriving metropolitan area, in 1692 it was a remote settlement on the edge of the frontier. George Burroughs, a minister, was one of the few men accused of witchcraft during the trials. Unfortunately, I do not have any information on her family tree but you might want to check out a genealogy site like ancestry.com to find out more. The first to be tried wasBridget Bishopof Salem who was found guilty and was hanged on June 10. The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between early 1692 and mid-1693. The Salem witch trials began because a group of girls claimed they were possessed by the devil. Of course, remembering the events of 1692 can still act as a brake when contemporary events take a sinister downturn. Related: 10 Scary Churches From Around The World That Will Creep You Out. This is really great. Farms were mortgaged or sold, first to pay prison fees, then to pay taxes; frequently they were abandoned. After Nurses execution on July 19th, the residents of Salem started to seriously question the validity of the trials. There are many theories that explain why the witch trials began in Medieval Europe. Learn Religions, Sep. 9, 2021, learnreligions.com/facts-about-the-salem-trials-2562897. thanks, mike turner, The 1692 Salem Village map can now be purchased on zazzle: http://www.zazzle.com/salem_village_map_poster-228789587972988887?rf=238784808055391622. Hope that helps with your bibliography. Planting, cultivating, the care of houses, barns, roads, fences, were all forgotten. I have countless ancestors out of Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of my grandmothers was Martha Carrier. hope you in joy it was really helpful to my students and i, Thankyou this helpedme a lot for my 3 page essay in english 11 class. Note: it is expensive. and good job rebbeca! They left an 11-year-old son, John Jr . I sincerely cant thank you enough! A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Institute, 23 Oct. 2007, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/. Thanks! It helped me very much on my history day project!! In April, more women were accused, as well as a number of men:Sarah CloyceElizabeth ProctorJohn ProctorGiles CoreyAbigail HobbsDeliverance HobbsWilliam HobbsMary WarrenBridget BishopSarah WildesNehemiah Abbott Jr.Mary EastyEdward BishopSarah BishopMary EnglishPhillip EnglishReverend George BurroughsLydia DustinSusannah MartinDorcas HoarSarah Morey. Cant wait to visit this place! I am the author and publisher of this blog. In short, Spanos and Gottlieb believe that the ergotism theory is off-base for several reasons. The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of 1 Most of the accused were women but men were accusedand executedtoo. Salem Witch Trials from William A. Crafts Did the people really believe in witches? On October 31, 2001, the state amended the 1957 apology and cleared the names of the remaining unnamed victims, stating: Chapter 145 of the resolves of 1957 is hereby amended by striking out, in line 1, the words One Ann Pudeator and certain other persons and inserting in place thereof the following words:- Ann Pudeator, Bridget Bishop, Susannah Martin, Alice Parker, Margaret Scott and Wilmot Redd.. Ergot contains lysergic acid, a precursor for synthesis of LSD; certainly the visions of shape-shifting devils reported by the afflicted might be consistent with the experiences of an acid trip. I just found this out. The English laws against witchcraft were repealed in 1736, after which incidents of suspected bewitchment, by now very isolated, were dealt with by mob rule rather than by a clear legal framework. Only the intervention of Cotton Mather whonappeased the crowd with the observation that the devil had often been transformed into the Angel of Light ensured that the hangings continued as scheduled. I need to make a bibliography for my English report. See, the concept of fake news is nothing new. Lienhard says, In recent years, though, the ergot theory has been questioned. Is this a homework question? This belief in the power of the accused to use their invisible shapes or spectres to torture their victims had sealed the fates of those tried by the Court of Oyer and Terminer. In Germany alone, thousands of women died horrible deaths. Even poor animals were not safe and they could actually get accused and executed as well. I last updated this article on March 26, 2016. I need a bibliography for my class report. All witches are women, but not every woman is a witch. But the particular brand of paranoia that was rife in Salem Village fed by a rivalry with neighbouring Salem Town, ongoing family feuds and attacks by Native Americans developed into mass hysteria. This court consisted of eight judges. Nige Tassell is a freelance journalist specialising in history, This content first appeared in the January 2016 issue of BBC History Revealed, Save up to 49% AND your choice of gift card worth 10* when you subscribe BBC History Magazine or BBC History Revealed PLUS! Kinda sad after reading everything. 2, no. The court didnt believe them, and found all three women guilty of practicing witchcraft. Nor can we esteem alterations made in the sufferers, by a look or touch of the accused, to be an infallible evidence of guilt, but frequently liable to be abused by the Devil's legerdemains. Salem was . In November of 1991, Salem town officials announced plans for a Salem Witch Trials Memorial in Salem. It is sad where the mind-set was back then. Good and Osbourne insisted they were innocent. The persecutors had to come up with a whole irrational legal system in order to justify this insanity. Salem Village began that slow decay which eventually erased its houses and walls, but never its name and memory.. The history (both good and bad) is something we should all know about. All would await trial for a crime punishable by death in17th-century New England the practice of witchcraft. The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica. This is like the only website i found most helpful on Salem Witch Trial. In 1688, New England revolted and deposed the government of the Dominion of New England, and sent a representative back to London to report it, only to find that Parliament had deposed James II, and replaced him with William and Mary. If you are looking for more info on the victims themselves, you can check out the article I wrote specifically about them titled The Salem Witch Trials Victims: Who Were They? What source other than A Story of Witchcraft would you recommend to look up more information about the trials? Her apology states: I desire to be humbled before God for that sad and humbling providence that befell my fathers family in the year about 92; that I, then being in my childhood, should, by such a providence of God, be made an instrument for the accusing of several persons of a grievous crime, whereby their lives were taken away from them, whom now I have just grounds and good reason to believe they were innocent persons; and that it was a great delusion of Satan that deceived me in that sad time, whereby I justly fear I have been instrumental, with others, though ignorantly and unwittingly, to bring upon myself and this land the guilt of innocent blood; though what was said or done by me against any person I can truly and uprightly say, before God and man, I did it not out of any anger, malice, or ill-will to any person, for I had no such thing against one of them; but what I did was ignorantly, being deluded by Satan. Abigail Williams: The Mysterious Afflicted Girl. Learn all about the origin, history, and significance of the Salem witch trials. Bridget was accused by five of the afflicted girls, Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam Jr., Mercy Lewis, Mary Walcott and Elizabeth Hubbard, who stated she had physically hurt them and tried to make them sign a pact with the devil. I think in some forms that witches still exist in hidden arenas. The leading independent voice for aviation news and insight. "Examination and Evidence of Some the Accused Witches in Salem, 1692. Witchcraft had been made illegal during Henry VIIIs reign, with subsequent legislation passed under Elizabeth I further outlawing conjurations and enchantments. European Witch trials started at a similar time as Protestantism. Acts and Resolves, Public and Private, of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, vol. Morrisiana, 1869Jackson, Shirley. Letters of Governor Phips to the Home Government, 16921693, "Woman condemned in Salem witch trials on verge of pardon 328 years later", "Indictment of Sarah Good for Afflicting Sarah Vibber", "Indictment of Abigail Hobbs for Covenanting", "The Devil's Specter: Spectral Evidence and the Salem Witchcraft Crisis", Narratives of the Witchcraft Trials, p. 342, "Role of skin lesions in the Salem witchcraft trials", "329 years later, last Salem 'witch' who wasn't is pardoned", Cornell University Library Witchcraft Collection, Salem Massachusetts Salem Witch Trials The Stones: July 10 and July 19, 1692, Salem Village Witchcraft Victims' Memorial, etext.virginia.edu, Chapter 122 of the Acts of 2001, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Actual Site Of Salem Witch Hangings Discovered", "The Real Salem Witch Hanging Site Was Located", Salem Witchcraft Trials: The Perception Of Women In History, Literature And Culture, Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project, SalemWitchTrials.com Essays, biographies of the accused and afflicted, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Salem_witch_trials&oldid=1142737002. This is basically what got me an A on my history fair assignment, I appreciate all the time and effort put into writing this! Wow. Within minutes theyre led, hoods drawn over their heads, towards a rudimentary set of gallows, and their imminent executions. The Salem Witch Trials were not a positive section of American history but have been used as a learning tool for the United States. Local clergymen began speaking out against the witch hunt and tried to persuade officials to stop the trials. Thank you for this amazing article! And insularity bred paranoia, as Schiff sharply explains. I needed this a lot but was having trouble with it. By the end of May, more than 60 people were in custody; the vast majority were women, but a handful of men were also detained. Most of the eyewitness accounts can be found in the court records and the books written by the ministers involved in the trials. My fathers family have lived in this area for centuries. Being burned at the stake was an occasionally used method of execution in Europe, when one was convicted of witchcraft, but was generally reserved for those who refused to repent of their sins. "Examination and Evidence of Some Accused Witches in Salem, 1692. Let me know if you are related to story too. Preston, VK. "The Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Legal History". Wrong. It is voluminous and comes in paperback and hardcover. In 1957, the state of Massachusetts officially apologized for the Salem Witch Trials and cleared the name ofsome of the remaining victims not listed in the 1711 law, stating: One Ann Pudeator and certain other persons yet did not list the other victims names. The other most notorious case of witchcraft in England came during the British Civil Wars when Matthew Hopkins the son of a Puritan clergyman and the self-styled Witch Finder General scoured East Anglia in search those suspected of making covenants with the Devil. To complicate matters further, within Salem Village itself, there were two separate social groups. Do not lay more stress on pure spectral evidence than it will bear, he cautioned. Thank you for this amazing Article. Thank you for the kind comments. Thanks so much! The afflicted state of our poor neighbours, that are now suffering by molestations from the invisible world, we apprehend so deplorable, that we think their condition calls for the utmost help of all persons in their several capacities. Add in the numerous films and television series that reference Salem, and things get even more distorted. More than 200 people were accused. Salem witch trials. By the way, thank you so much for this wonderful website; its really thorough and cool. 10 Unsettling Facts About The Witch Trials, The Symptoms That Gave Witches Away Make No Sense At All, Women Could Save Themselves By Pointing A Finger (At Someone Innocent), Witch Trials In Germany Took Thousands Of Lives, It Wasn't Just Women Who Suffered Because Of The Trials, The Witch Tests Often Had No Way Of Getting Out Alive, As If They Didn't Suffer Enough, Social Outcasts Had It The Worst, Scary Stories: 10 Places For Stephen King Fans To Visit, 10 Scary Churches From Around The World That Will Creep You Out, Spooky Places: 10 Destinations For Fans Of Witches. Massachusetts Archives Collection, vol. They were during the Colonial times. Found Guilty and Executed:Bridget Bishop (June 10, 1692)Sarah Good (July 19, 1692)Elizabeth Howe (July 19, 1692)Susannah Martin (July 19, 1692)Rebecca Nurse (July 19, 1692)Sarah Wildes (July 19, 1692)George Burroughs (August 19, 1692)Martha Carrier (August 19, 1692)John Willard (August 19, 1692)George Jacobs, Sr (August 19, 1692)John Proctor (August 19, 1692)Alice Parker (September 22, 1692)Mary Parker (September 22, 1692)Ann Pudeator (September 22, 1692)Wilmot Redd (September 22, 1692)Margaret Scott (September 22, 1692)Samuel Wardwell (September 22, 1692)Martha Corey (September 22, 1692)Mary Easty (September 22, 1692), Refused to enter a plea and tortured to death:Giles Corey (September 19th, 1692), Found Guilty and Pardoned:Elizabeth ProctorAbigail Faulkner SrMary PostSarah WardwellElizabeth Johnson JrDorcas Hoar, Pled Guilty and Pardoned:Rebecca EamesAbigail HobbsMary Lacy SrMary Osgood, Died in Prison:Sarah OsburnRoger ToothakerAnn FosterLydia Dustin, Escaped from Prison:John Alden Jr.Edward Bishop Jr.Sarah BishopMary BradburyWilliam Barker Sr.Andrew CarrierKatherine CaryPhillip EnglishMary EnglishEdward Farrington, Never Indicted:Sarah BassettMary BlackBethiah Carter, JrBethiah Carter, SrSarah CloyceElizabeth HartWilliam HobbsThomas Farrer, SrWilliam ProctorSarah ProctorSusannah RootsAnn SearsTituba, Evaded Arrest:George Jacobs JrDaniel Andrews. Very well done! They were a means of crowd control that gave way to changes in power structures. Also I was curious to know what the specific compromise was. Both, like Good, were viewed as outcasts by the local community; Tituba for her race and Osborne for the shedding of any religious beliefs she might once have held. Great post, this helped a lot with my Witch Trials report for history class! A 1976 study, printed in the journal Science, attributed the girls hysterical and possibly hallucinogenic behaviour to the ingestion of rye bread made with grain infected with ergot of rye. I need to compare 2 victims of the salem witch trails and find a way that they are linked as indiviguals and how their lives had similar paths that lead to victimhood but this thing is wayyyyy to long. You can unsubscribe at any time. In January 1692 Salem Village was dealing with a lot. Just pay for a month and go nuts adding records to a tree. By the end of the trials in 1693, 24 people had died, some in jail but most by hanging. While many modern-day Pagans cite the Salem trials as an example of religious intolerance, at the time, witchcraft was not seen as a religion at all. Bernard Rosenthal, "Medievalism and the Salem Witch Trials," in: Protests against early modern witch trials, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Cultural depictions of the Salem witch trials, Medical and psychological explanations of bewitchment, List of wrongful convictions in the United States, "Six Victims of 1692 Salem Witch Trials "Cleared" by Massachusetts", "Massachusetts Clears 5 From Salem Witch Trials", "Salem may pardon accused witches of 1692", "On 325th anniversary, city dedicates Proctor's Ledge memorial to Salem Witch Trials victims", "Memorable Providence, Relating to Witchcraft and Possessions", "Examination of Dorothy Good, As Told by Deodat Lawson", "Religiosity and the political economy of the Salem witch trials", Virginia.edu Salem witch trials (archives), "Massachusetts Archives: Superior Court of Judicature Witchcraft Trials (JanuaryMay 1693), Cases Heard". Its a common myth that the Salem Witch Trials victims were burned at the stake. Other victims include two dogs who were shot or killed after being suspected of witchcraft. Pre-trial examinations were held at the Salem Village meetinghouse, in Reverend Samuel Parris house in Salem Village, in Ingersoll Tavern at Salem Village and in Beadles Tavern in Salem Town. One of them, George Burroughs, protested his innocence as the noose was readied. These three women were social outcasts and easy targets for the accusation of witchcraft. The exact cause of the Salem Witch Trials is unknown but they were probably a number of causes. One of the most popular theories as to what could have caused the mass hysteria of Salem is that of ergot poisoning, but recent scholars have questioned this idea. How twisted is that? 10. After my greaty great uncle Israel Porter formed political group to gather support against putnums, putnums responded by accusing supporters n friends of Porter Family of witchcraft (esp their daughters). I dont know what compromise youre referring to. Five more people were hanged in July, one of which was Rebecca Nurse. Seemed like there was alot of hate towards one another just for being different. This helped me a lot with an assignment i had to do for school, but i cant find the publisher sadly. I was wondering if there was a written document or agreement signed that ended the trials. 136, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA. 9, 17181718, Chap. The governor released the last few prisoners the following May. In isolated settlements, in dim, smoky, firelit homes, New Englanders lived very much in the dark, where one listens more acutely, feels more passionately, imagines most vividly, where the sacred and the occult thrive. These five executions were not the first in New England for the crime of witchcraft. I hope ill get the chance to read it some day! The trials are believed to have been the reason why the US constitution recognizes witchcraft as a legal religion. I think that maybe they thought they were bewitched. These spirits could inhabit any human or any creature. The devil had won. Maybe it's the influence of pop culture or maybe it's because it's theatrical, but a lot of people assume that witches were burned at the stake. We judge that, in the prosecution of these and all such witchcrafts, there is need of a very critical and exquisite caution, lest by too much credulity for things received only upon the Devil's authority, there be a door opened for a long train of miserable consequences, and Satan get an advantage over us; for we should not be ignorant of his devices. I have all the other bibliographies from some other websites but I still need one from this one and I cant find it could you help me?? Boston, MA. As the innocent women approached the gallows, in the last moments of their lives, they continued to protest their innocence. Here are 10 facts about the witch trials that will surely send chills down your spine. Bad weather isn't the only reason why the witch hype began. We also have kept good records of everything. We cannot but, with all thankfulness, acknowledge the success which the merciful God has given unto the sedulous and assiduous endeavours of our honourable rulers, to detect the abominable witchcrafts which have been committed in the country, humbly praying, that the discovery of those mysterious and mischievous wickednesses may be perfected. I lasted edited this page on October 18, 2015. The Catholic and Protestant churches fought for new followers. This was the name that was given to the evil spirits that were supposedly floating around the witches while they practiced their dark arts. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Dr. John Lienhard of the University of Houston writes in Rye, Ergot and Witches about Mary Matossians 1982 study which supports Caporaels findings. Proctors entire family was accused, including all of his children, his pregnant wife Elizabeth, and sister-in-law. While sympathy, and certainly empathy, are always good things to have, its also important that we dont let emotions color the facts. The Salem witch trials were a series of prosecutions in which over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. I know that the accusers, at least some of them were aligned with the Putnam family who was known to have land disputes with several of the villagers. The charter was revoked because the colonists had violated several of the charters rules, which included basing laws on religious beliefs and discriminating against Anglicans. Well, Sharis, the Salem Witch Trials are quite complicated and cant be accurately summed up in a short article. I am totally shocked to be related in this way. Instead, in 1692, hanging was the preferred form of punishment. One of the most popular theories as to what could have caused the mass hysteria of Salem in 1692 is that of ergot poisoning. There were the ordinary stresses of 17th-century life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Salem witch trials started with two girls having unexplainable fits. One of these days itll happen lol. Patti Wigington is a pagan author, educator, and licensed clergy. I read a paper several years ago that attributed much of the Salem Witch Trials to classism and arguments over land and land rights several years ago, but cant seem to remember its authors or publisher. I am as innocent as the child unborn. Here are some of our favorite Salem attractions: Salem Witch Museum Your first stop should be the Salem Witch Museum. In effect, theSalem Witch Trialswere over. Id really like to see period sources for your assertion here. On September 22, eight people were hanged. This site is not a part of the Smithsonian website. The people had been so determined upon hunting out and destroying witches that they had neglected everything else. The new court was presided over by William Stoughton, Thomas Danforth, John Richards, Waitstill Winthrop and Samuel Sewall. Knowing that if he was convicted his large estate would be confiscated and wouldnt be passed down to his children, Corey brought his trial to a halt by refusing to enter a plea. A Brief History of The Salem Witch Trials.Brief History Of The Salem Witch Trials The Salem witch trials took place between 1692 & 1693, in colonial Massachusetts. Yes, it is loosely based on the Salem Witch Trials. They were soft, obvious targets for a mistrustful, God-fearing populace living along strictly defined lines. HI there! They basically played the trump card of the times. Around the end of September, the use of spectral evidence was finally declared inadmissible, thus marking the beginning of the end of the Salem Witch Trials. As if the class and religious differences werent bad enough, Salem was in an area that was under regular attack from Native American tribes. People wanted to protect themselves, so they ratted out their own friends, neighbors or anyone they didn't like. Hoffer, Peter Charles. Hi Indigo, Im assuming you mean eyewitness accounts. Check them out below. One bitterly cold evening, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams the daughter and niece of the local Puritan minister Samuel Parris began displaying disturbing behaviour described as being beyond the power of epileptic fits or natural disease to effect. Unauthorized use is prohibited. "5 Facts About the Salem Trials." A newer, more anti-religious charter replaced the original one in 1691 and also combined the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony and several other colonies into one. Although the infamous persecution of witches . One other man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death after refusing to enter a plea, and at least five people . However, in the more than three centuries since then, the historical waters have gotten a bit muddied, and many modern Pagans find themselves sympathetic towards Salems accused. Tried and found guilty within the course of a single day, Bishop was hanged a week later on 10 June, the first execution of the trials. How inhumane! It also helped with my reading assignment. During that time, 19 people were hanged and one person was pressed to death. On July 23, John Proctor wrote to the clergy in Boston. When a young Lancastrian woman called Alison Device asked for a pin from a travelling peddler but was denied, the peddler apparently became immediately paralysed down his left side. Essex County Court Archives, vol. This helped with my English assignment! I could use this for classroom use. Native Americans and other religions represented threats by the Devil. The Salem Witch Trials officially began in February of 1692, when the afflicted girls accused the first three victims, Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne, of witchcraft and ended in May of 1693, when the remaining victims were released from jail. If there is anyone has found anymore supporting theories please share. An elderly woman accused of witchcraft is taken to the courthouse by an officer of the law. When it came to religion, Salem Village was as devout as any other settlement in the area; one visitor observed that the residents of New England could neither drive a bargain, nor make a jest, without a text of Scripture at the end of it. No one was burned at the stake in Salem, but nineteen people were hanged, and one was pressed to death under heavy stones. No one was burned at the stake in the Salem witch trials. Between 1647 and 1688, 12 women had been sentenced to death for making covenants with the devil.