Did Males Ever Face Witchcraft Accusations?

Between 20-25 per cent of those executed for the crime of witchcraft were men, with up to 80 per cent in what is now Ukraine, Russia, and Finland. Witchcraft accusations were sex-based, with adult women and a few men accusing their neighbors of witchcraft in 1692. In Essex, twenty-three men were accused of witchcraft, with eleven of them either married to an accused witch or appearing in a joint indictment with a witch. In Iceland, between 1625 and 1685, 92% of those prosecuted for witchcraft were men, with the most infamous trial being that of a father and son named Jón Jónsson in 1655.

Men, women, and children are accused of spreading HIV/AIDS through witchcraft, with some being leaders in the scientific community or government advisers. Often, when men were accused of witchcraft, they were charged in connection to a female witch. The Salem Witch Trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693, with no fewer than six men convicted and executed.

The long and underappreciated history of male witches and the countries where more men were prosecuted for witchcraft is also discussed. From about 1400 to 1775, about 100,000 people were prosecuted for witchcraft in Europe and British America. While there were cunning folk put on trial, for the most part, few were accused of being witches. In Early Modern Russia, the majority of accused “witches” were men, with three out of four Russians accused of witchcraft being men.

Who was the first male accused of witchcraft?

Proctor, originally from Ipswich, moved to Salem in 1666 and worked on a farm. He was an enormous man with great force and energy, but his unguarded tongue led to his death. Proctor denounced the witchcraft hysteria in Salem as a scam and stood with his wife during her accusation and defended her innocence. He was the first male to be named a witch in Salem, along with his children, his wife Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s sister and sister-in-law.

Mary Warren, a maid servant in the Proctor house, accused Proctor of practicing witchcraft. She believed Proctor would beat her out of fits, and he threatened beatings and worse if she didn’t stop them. This outspoken criticism of the afflicted led to Proctor’s accusations.

Proctor was tried on August 5 and hanged on the 19th. While in prison, Proctor wrote a letter to the clergy of Boston, asking them to intervene to either have the trials moved to Boston or have new judges appointed. After the trial and execution of Rebecca Nurse, the prospects for other accused were grim. Proctor’s request was made because the present judges were already convinced of guilt, making the trial just a formality.

In response to Proctor’s letter, eight ministers, including Increase Mather, met at Cambridge on August 1 and decided that the Devil could take on the form of innocent people. However, their decision did not have widespread impact until after Proctor’s execution.

Who was blamed for witchcraft?

Tituba, a Native South American slave owned by Parris, was the first to be accused of witchcraft by Betty and Abigail. She was also the first to confess and accuse others, first naming Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. The Parris Household, including the Putnams and other “afflicted” girls, was a driving force behind the accusations. Pastor Samuel Parris, who preached about the Devil’s work, was a driving force behind the accusations.

Elizabeth “Betty” Parris and Abigail Williams, the first of the “afflicted” girls, began having unexplained fits in January 1692 after experimenting with fortune-telling and were diagnosed as being possessed.

They remained the main accusers throughout the trials. Tituba was the first to tell elaborate stories about rituals and animal familiars, leading to further accusations. Parris refused to pay her jailing costs, so she spent thirteen months in jail before someone else paid for her. Her fate after being released is unknown.

Were there any male witches in the Salem witch trials?

During the Salem trials of 1692, six men were hanged as witches, with four related to female witches. Two of the men were not related to accused women, John Willard and George Burroughs. Willard was described as a typical witch who afflicted several individuals, causing illness and death.

Urbain Grandier, a Jesuit priest, was executed in 1634 for making a pact with the Devil, attending the witches’ Sabbath, owning books of magic, and causing the demonic possessions of several Ursuline nuns. Evidence against Grandier included the presence of several Devil’s marks on his body, which were common for witches to be searched for. After Grandier’s arrest, many of his associates were accused of being witches.

William Godfrey, a yeoman farmer in New Romney, Kent, was charged with witchcraft in 1617. His neighbors accused him of various maleficia, including laming lambs, killing horses, and killing a child. Godfrey’s wife and two children were not accused of witchcraft, and the case against him was thrown out. The seriousness of Godfrey’s neighbors’ accusations can be inferred from an assault on him by William Clarke.

How many men were accused in the witch trials?

The Salem witch trials in 1693 involved 144 to 185 people accused of witchcraft, with 54 confessing. Nineteen were executed, 14 women, and five men. An 81-year-old man was accidentally killed during torture. All accused were pardoned by the end of the year. The witch hunt aligned with New England folk beliefs and theology, as Puritans were strong believers in Providence, the working out of God’s will on Earth. In the 1690s, there was a sense within the Puritan community that they were slipping away from their values, while the devil lurked. All accused were eventually pardoned by the end of the year.

Were men hung in the Salem witch trials?

The Salem Witch Trials occurred in 1692 when a special Court of Oyer and Terminer was established in Salem to hear cases of witchcraft. The court, led by Chief Justice William Stoughton, consisted of magistrates and jurors. Bridget Bishop, the first to be tried, was found guilty and hanged on June 10. The Superior Court of Judicature, formed to replace the witchcraft court, did not allow spectral evidence, sealing the fates of those tried. The new court released those awaiting trial and pardoned those awaiting execution, effectively ending the Salem Witch Trials.

As years passed, apologies were offered and restitution was made to the victims’ families. Historians and sociologists have examined this complex episode to understand the issues of that era and view subsequent events with heightened awareness. The parallels between the Salem Witch Trials and modern examples of witch hunting, such as the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s, are remarkable.

How often were men accused of witchcraft?

Between 20-25% of those executed for witchcraft were men, with up to 80% in Ukraine, Russia, and Finland. Witchcraft accusations were sex-related, not sex-specific. As charges of witchcraft evolved from the 14th century to the 18th century, the “crime” changed from healing and herbal use to diabolical witchcraft, involving Sabbath gatherings, interaction with the Devil, and malefice. The archetypal “witch” as an elderly woman in a pointy hat persists in popular culture, despite shows like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina shifting the way witches are presented. The archetype emerged due to the changing portrayal of witches in early modern society.

Who was the only man killed in the Salem witch trials?

Giles Corey John Proctor, George Burroughs, George Jacobs Sr., John Willard, and Samuel Wardwell were all hanged after being convicted of witchcraft, while Giles Corey was pressed to death with stones for refusing to “put himself on the country,” that is, to allow himself to be put on trial.

Salem Witch Trials in History and Literature An Undergraduate Course, University of Virginia Spring Semester 2001.

Born in England about 1611, Giles Corey was one of the six mento be executed during the Salem witch trials of 1692. John Proctor, George Burroughs, George Jacobs Sr., John Willard, and SamuelWardwell were all hanged after being convicted of witchcraft, whileGiles Corey was pressed to death with stones for refusing to “puthimself on the country,” that is, to allow himself to be put ontrial. He emigrated from England to Salem and remained there until1659 when he relocated to Salem Farms, just south of Salem Village. There he owned an extensive plot of land, which resulted in theappearance of his being a prosperous farmer. His personality, reputation and relationships with others however tainted thatpicture. Although he had become a full member of the Village churchand had close ties with the Porter faction in the Village, hisreputation as one who lacked consideration for others in thecommunity and as one who lead a “scandalous life,” quite possiblyhad a significant impact on his being accused as a witch. Becauseof Corey’s previous encounters with the law, there was furthersuspicion of his guilt during the witch trials. In 1675, Coreypummeled and killed a farm worker named Jacob Goodale. He was foundguilty of the murder and ordered to pay a substantial fine.

By the time of the trials, Giles Corey was already 80, and wasmarried to Martha, his third wife. On March 19, 1692, Martha wasarrested for witchcraft. Giles, for reasons unknown to others, decided to testify against his wife, but eventually tried to recanthis deposition, which lead to greater suspicion of his involvementin witchcraft because of the stigma surrounding perjury. One monthlater, on April 19, 1692, Giles Corey was accused of witchcraft andthere was a warrant out for his arrest. There were two primaryaccusations, one from Abigail Hobbs who during her own confessionto witchcraft named Giles and Martha Corey as fellow witches, andone from Exekiell Chevers and John Putnam, Jr., who filed anaccusation on behalf of Ann Putnam, Marcy Lewis, Abigail Williams, Mary Walcott and Elizabeth Hubbard.

Are the Salem witch trials real?

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 involved over 200 people accused of practicing witchcraft, with twenty executed, most by hanging. The trial was the only state-sanctioned execution of its kind. Dozens suffered under inhumane conditions, including torture and imprisonment without trials. The tragedy of the trial is largely due to the failure of the court and laws during that time, which made visions, dreams, and spirits’ testimony permissible evidence.

The court accepted flimsy accusations, which would seem laughable today. The trials occurred just as Europe’s “witchcraft craze” from the 14th to 17th centuries was winding down, with an estimated tens of thousands of European witches, mostly women, executed.

Who was the youngest person jailed for witchcraft?

Dorothy Good, the youngest person to be arrested and jailed in 1692, was accused of practicing witchcraft at the age of four. She was confined to a dungeon-like prison for nearly eight months, initially with her mother and infant sister. However, her comforts were later removed when her sister perished in the prison conditions and her mother was convicted of practicing witchcraft and taken away for execution. Dorothy’s father described her as “chargeable having little or no reason to govern herself”.

Historical accounts of the Salem witch trials often reference Dorothy’s status as the youngest person to be imprisoned and her story with reference to the reparation payment awarded to her father in 1712. Recent research by the Director of Education has revealed more information about Dorothy’s adult life, including her straying and rambling life, and her birth of two children without a husband to claim them as his own.

Why were dogs killed in the Salem witch trials?

Dogs were believed to be a common familiar associated with the Devil, and according to colonial laws of Massachusetts, if any man or woman was accused of being a witch, they would be put to death. In 1692, a girl in Andover accused a neighbor’s dog of trying to bewitch her because it looked at her weird. The dog was immediately shot, but Cotton Mather, a Puritan Minister and witch expert, almost instantly exonerated him for his crimes.

The second dog killed was only because he was acting strangely, and afflicted girls in Salem Village believed that John Bradstreet must have been out riding that dog. The man accused of riding the dog fled to a less puritanical colony in seacoast New Hampshire, but Mather didn’t exonerate this dog like the first. People began to argue against Mather’s belief that spectral evidence, including animal familiars, should be included as evidence.

In addition to being used by witches to carry out their evil plot, dogs were also used by the pious citizens of Massachusetts Bay Colony to identify witches. These unsuspecting dogs were forced to eat “witch cakes”, which consisted of a victim’s urine mixed with rye meal and ashes and baked as a cake. The dogs were fed the cake in the hopes that the dog would get possessed and reveal the witch’s identity.

In the seventeenth century, dogs were willing to try anything once, but there were no examples of a dog actually accusing someone of witchcraft. The witch hysteria started with a dog living in Rev. Samuel Parris’ household, where a witch cake was prepared by Tituba, the Parris family’s slave, using the urine of Betty Parris, daughter of Rev. Samuel Parris. However, the cake failed, and Tituba was eventually jailed as a witch.

Were men killed in the witch trials too?

The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693, involving over 200 people accused of witchcraft. Thirty people were found guilty, with nineteen executed by hanging. The trials took place in various towns beyond Salem Village and its regional center, including Andover and Topsfield. The grand juries and trials were conducted by a Court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692 and a Superior Court of Judicature in 1693, both held in Salem Town. This was the deadliest witch hunt in colonial North America’s history.

The Salem witch trials were a colonial manifestation of the broader phenomenon of witch trials in the early modern period, which took the lives of tens of thousands in Europe. The events have been used in political rhetoric and popular literature as a cautionary tale about the dangers of isolation, religious extremism, false accusations, and lapses in due process. Many historians consider the lasting effects of the trials highly influential in the history of the United States, with historian George Lincoln Burr stating that the Salem witchcraft was the foundation for the theocracy in New England.