Martha Corey
Martha Corey | |
---|---|
Execution by hanging | |
Monuments | Salem Witch Trials Memorial (1992), Proctor's Ledge Memorial (2017) |
Nationality | English |
Occupation | Mother |
Known for | Convicted of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials |
Spouses | |
Children | Benoni Panon, Thomas Rich |
Martha Corey (née Panon; died 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.[3] Her second husband, Giles Corey, was also accused and killed.
Early life and marriages
Born Martha Panon, somewhere within New England her exact date of birth is unknown.[4] At least 20 years before her death, Martha had an illegitimate, mixed race son named Benoni.[5] Benoni was thought to have an African or Native American biological father and represented living proof of Martha's sinful and shameful past.[6]
Martha married Henry Rich in 1684 and had a second son named Thomas Rich. After the death of her first husband, she married wealthy farmer Giles Corey in the year 1690. Benoni lived with Martha and her husband Giles, so town members were aware of him.[6] Giles also had a controversial past including petty theft and a trial for the murder of a servant boy. Both of their pasts may have contributed to their accusations and death in the Salem Witch Trials.[7]
Salem witch trials
Still, Martha had attempted to turn away from her past transgressions. The community was surprised to see Corey accused, as she was known for her
She was unaware of the level of
The girls began
Her husband,
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.[12] 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.[13] 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).[14] They also feature in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's play Giles Corey of the Salem Farms, where both are portrayed sympathetically as victims of local power struggles.[15] Martha Corey and her husband are both characters in the Arthur Miller play The Crucible (although Martha is only heard off-stage). In the 1957 and 1996 film adaptations of Miller's play, she was depicted (on-screen) by Jeanne Fusier-Gir and Mary Pat Gleason, respectively. Martha Corey is also the titular character in Lyon Phelps's The Gospel Witch.[16]
References
- ^ "Giles and Martha Corey Memorial".
- ^ Enders A. Robinson. The Devil Discovered: Salem Witchcraft 1692. Waveland Press, Prospect Heights, IL, 2001 (1991), p. 271
- ISBN 1555531644.
- ^ "Giles and Martha Corey Memorial".
- ^ "Salem Witch Trials Notable Persons". salem.lib.virginia.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
- ^ a b c d e f "Important Persons in the Salem Court Records". salem.lib.virginia.edu.
- ^ "Martha Corey: Gospel Woman or Gospel Witch? – History of Massachusetts Blog". historyofmassachusetts.org. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
- ^ a b Upham, Charles W. (1978). Salem Witchcraft. Vol. 2 (Reprint ed.). New York: Frederick Ungar (published 1876). pp. 38, 337.
- ^ Boyer, Paul; Nissenbaum, Stephen (1977). The Salem Witchcraft Papers: Verbatim Transcripts of the Legal Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Outbreak of 1692. Vol. 1. New York: Da Capo Press. pp. 248–254.
- ^ Brown, David C. (October 1985). "The Case of Giles Corey". Essex Institute Historical Collections. 121 (4): 282–299.
- ^ "Giles Corey's Will". New England Historical and Genealogical Register. 10: 32. January 1856 – via Internet Archive.
- OCLC 7588473.
- ISBN 978-0-226-46969-0.
- ^ Freeman, Mary E. Wilkins (December 1892 – May 1893). "Giles Corey, Yeoman". Harper's New Monthly Magazine. 86: 20, 22, 28–30 – via University of Virginia.
- ^ Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth (1868). The New-England Tragedies. Boston: Ticknor and Fields. Act IV, Scene II.
- ^ Phelps, Lyon (1955). The Gospel Witch. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
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.