Corey, Martha

Martha Corey, 81, wife of Giles Corey, owner of extremely valuable land (100 acres ) near the Ipswich River.

Martha was questioned about witchcraft on Mar. 12, arrested one week later on Mar. 19th, examined at court on Monday Mar. 21 and convicted.

She was slapped into Boston prison until her hanging on Sept. 22nd, 1692.

The accusation of Martha Corey marked a turning point in the Salem witch trials crisis of 1692 in Massachusetts.

Corey was a newly accepted member of the village church and broke the established mold of only social pariahs being accused of practicing witchcraft.

Major contributing factors to the case being brought against her were an illegitimate son born to Corey in the 1670s, and her outspoken criticisms of the trials and the judges involved in the convictions.

Although Martha espoused her innocence throughout her whole ordeal, she was put to death on September 22, 1692.

See Also

• Important Persons in the Salem Court Records Salem Witch Trials, Univ. Of Virginia