15 Incredible Facts About The Salem Witch Trials

15 Incredible Facts About The Salem Witch Trials

The Salem Witch Trials happened in colonial Massachusetts from early 1692 to mid-1693. During the Salem Trials accused witchcraft went through trials in Salem.

Many people were accused of witchcraft during the time, both men and women, there was no discrimination of gender. However, despite many accusations, only 25 people died during the time. 20 people were executed and five died in jail.

In this article, we have compiled 15 incredible facts about the Salem witch trials that are worth knowing. The Salem witch trials have a good history and interesting things to learn. Join us as we take you through the journey of the Salem witch trial how it started and how it ended.

1.  Not Everyone in The Salem Witch Trials was from Salem Village

unattributed, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Even though the trials were taking place in Salem Village now known as Danvers, the arrests were made in different towns.

Andover town located in northeastern Massachusetts had the highest number of accused witches. Some of the towns where a number of accused came from include Haverhill, Rowley, Ipswich, Topsfield, Reading, and Manchester among others.

Read also the 10 Famous Witches in History.

2. Tituba was the First to Admit to Witchcraft During the Salem Witch Trials

John Whetton Ehninger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It is incredible to know that Tituba was the first individual to admit to witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. Only a little information is shared about Tituba, she was an enslaved woman known to come from Central America.

After Tituba admitted to using witchcraft, she gave a detailed crafted tale on how the devil came to her and asked her to do his work. According to her confession, she has seen four women and a man, such as Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne who asked her to hurt the children.

3. People who were Found Guilty were Killed In Different Ways

During the Salem witch trials hearings and prosecutions of people said to be witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts went through trial in Salem court and the guilty individuals were killed using different ways.

It is said more than 200 people we accused but only 30 were found guilty. 19 of the individuals were killed by hanging, five died in jail, while Giles Corey one of the witches died due to torture.

4. Bridget Bishop was the First to be Executed During the Salem Witch Trials

Bishop Bridget had questionable morals and was the first to be tried and executed during the Salem witch trials. Bishop was married three times, when her second husband died, she was accused of bewitching him but later pardoned due to lack of evidence.

Bishop was accused again of witchcraft but she denied it during her trial like the first time saying she did not know what a witch was. Her death warrant signed on June 8, 1692, stated that Bishop had caused bodily harm to five women through her witchcraft, including Mercy Lewis, Mary Walcott, Ann Putnam, etc. The death warrant ordered her death on Friday, June 10, 1692, by hanging her and it was conducted by Sheriff George Corwin.

5. Even Animals were Believed to Participate in Witchcraft and were not Spared During the Salem Witch Trials

During the Salem witch trials, 2 dogs were killed since they were suspected of witchcraft. It is interesting how even animals were believed to participate in witchcraft in Salem.

One dog was accused by a girl suffering from convulsions that it tried to bewitch her. The dog was shot dead after the accusations. The second dog was believed to be a victim of witchcraft whose tormentors ran away from Salem before they could be tried in court.

Find the 30 Awesome Facts about Dogs.

6. Dorothy Good was Accused of Witchcraft When she was only 4 Years Old

In the trial of the Salem witch, the youngest person to be accused of witchcraft was Dorothy Good. She was a daughter to Sarah Good, who was among the first three women to be accused of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials.

Despite Dorothy being young she was not spared and went through the trial on March 23, 1962. She had been accused by Edward Putnam.

During her trial, Ann Putnam testified against Good and said she tried to bite and choke her, Ann’s claim was seconded by Mary Walcott.

The young soul decided to play along with hopes of seeing her mother who had been arrested before her. Good told them what they wanted to hear, she confessed that her mother was a witch and had given her a snake that bit her. She was imprisoned on March 24, 1692, and released on December 10, 1692.

7.  A Special Court was Established for the Salem Witch Trial

Joseph E., ca. 1837-1914, artist., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

All the accusations and trials of the people accused of witchcraft in 1692 were conducted by the Court of Oyer and Terminer.

In 1693, the Superior Court of Judicature took over and all trials of capital crime took place here. The 2 courts were located in Salem Town and the hanging of the guilty took place there.

8. Spectral Evidence Could Get Someone Accused During Salem Witch Trials

The interesting part about the Salem witch trials is that there was no need to provide evidence when accusing someone of witchcraft, pointing a finger was enough.

Spectral evidence (refers to witness testimony that the accused person’s spirit or spectral shape appeared to him/her witness in a dream when his body was in another place) was commonly used during the Salem witch trials.

 The spectral was used against Rebecca Nurse by Ann Putnam, and Bridgit Bishop among other people. However, when the wife of Governor William Phips, Mary Phips was accused of witchcraft through spectral evidence, the governor stopped the expansion of witch trials, ended the power of the Court of Oyer and Terminer, and declared spectral evidence should not be used against people. And he put an end to witch trials.

9. Women were Most Accused of Witch but Men were Accused too

Thomas Satterwhite Noble, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

As is believed by many only women can be witches, during the Salem witch trial they did not discriminate based on gender. Both men and women were accused and taken to trial. The large number of accused were women. However, when the first accusation of witchcraft started in Salem town, they initially targeted women.

Among the 20 executed people during trials, 14 were women while 6 were men, including George Jacobs, Sr. John Willard, Samuel Wardwell, Sr., George Burroughs, Giles Corey, and John Willard.

John Protector was the first ever man to be accused of witchcraft while Tituna, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osbourne were among the first women accused of witchcraft.

10. Most of the Accusers were Children and Teenagers Under Age 20

It is surprising to know that most of the accusers were children and teenagers who were below 20. The first accusers of the Salem trials were Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams who were 9 and 11 years respectively.

No accuser was older than 20 years, the oldest were 19 and 20 years. The interesting part is that all of the accusers were girls.

11. No one was Burned at the Stake

Some people spread rumors that some victims during the Salem witch trial were burned but this is not true. During the whole time when the trials existed in the 17^th century, no one was Burned.

Many people confuse the European witchcraft trial and the Salem witch trial. In Europe, thousands of people both men and women were accused of witchcraft and most of them were executed by burning.

However, during the Salem witch trials, the victims were executed by hanging and one individual Giles Corey, was executed through torture.

12. Witch Tests were Used During the Salem Witch Trials

Frank O. Small (1860-1915), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

During the Salem trials, witch tests were used to prove whether the accused was guilty of witchcraft. However, it was impossible to pass the tests, when the accused passed one test the court used another one till he/she failed.

These witch tests were used in Europe and then brought in the Salem trials. They include the following

• Prayer Test
• Incantation Test
• Pricking Test
• Touch Test
• Weight Test
• Swimming Test
• Witch Cake Test
• Skin Test

13. More than 200 People were Arrested

During the Salem witch trial, more than 200 people were accused and arrested for a witchcraft crime. Among the 200, 20 people were executed, 14 were women and 6 were men. Five people are said to have died in jail.

The other individuals are said to have been pardoned after trials while others escaped their sentences.

14. A Total Number of 25 People Died as A Result of Salem Trials

During the Salem witch trial, many people were accused and more than 200 were arrested. During the Salem trials, 25 deaths occurred, 20 individuals were executed and 5 were said to have died in jail including children.

Sarah Good’s infant known as Mercy was one of a child who died in prison shortly after birth.

15. Witch House is the only Structure in Salem Still Standing with Direct Ties to Witch Trials

SalemPuritan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Witch House also known as Jonathan Corwin House in Salem is the only standing structure with a direct relationship to the Salem witch trials history. It is one of the popular iconic historical sites in Salem Massachusetts.

The witch house is open to the public as a museum and many visitors visit the destination to learn more about the events and what happened during the Salem witch trial era.

The Salem witch trial era had a rich history. Many crazy things were done including killing animals in the name of witchcraft. Some of the accused were innocent but ended up in trials. We have also learned men can be witchcrafts, not necessarily women as it is always termed.