Bridget Bishop - wikipedia Bridget Bishop Bridget Bishop Bishop, as depicted in a lithograph Bridget Playfer c. 1632 England June 10, 1692 ( aged 59 or 60 ) Salem, Colony of Massachusetts Nationality English Other names Wasselbe, Wasselby, Waselby, Waselby, Wasselbee, Wesselbee, Hayfer ; Goody Oliver, Goody Bishop Occupation Housewife Criminal charge Witchcraft, Conspiracy with the Devil ( rehabilitated ) Criminal penalty Execution by hanging Criminal status Vacated Bridget Bishop ( c. 1632 -- June 10, 1692 ) was the first person executed for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials in 1692. All together, about 72 people were accused and tried, while 19 others were executed and suffered the same fate. Bishop may have been accused because she stood to inherit from her deceased husband. She was said to own a tavern in her home, where shuffleboard was played and minors were served. She deliberately dressed differently, in a trademark red tunic, and was very outspoken. Contents 1 Recent historical interpretation 2 Traditional historical interpretation 3 Family 4 Nature of allegations 5 References 6 Further reading Recent historical interpretation One interpretation of the historical record suggests that she was a resident of Salem Town and thus not the tavern owner. Perhaps she did not know her accusers. This would be supported in her deposition in Salem Village before the authorities stating, `` I never saw these persons before, nor I never was in this place before. '' The indictments against her clearly note that she was from `` Salem '' which meant Salem Town, as other indictments against residents of Salem Village specified their locations as such. Traditional historical interpretation `` ' Goodwife Bishop her Neighb'r wife of Edw : Bishop Jun'r might not be permitted to receive the Lords Supper in our church till she had given her the said Trask satisfaction for some offences that were against her. viz because the said Bishop did entertaine people in her house at unseasonable houres in the night to keep drinking and playing at shovel - board whereby discord did arise in other families & young people were in danger to bee corrupted & that the s 'd Trask knew these things & had once gon into the house & fynding some at shovel - board had taken the of peices thay played with & thrown them into the fyre & had reprooved the said Bishop for promoting such disorders, But received no satisfaction from her about it '' -- John Hawthorn and Jonath Corwin, Bridget Bishop Executed, June 10, 1692 : The Examination of Bridget Byshop at Salem Village 19. Apr. 1692 Family Bridget 's maiden name appears to have been Playfer. She was married three times. She married her first husband Captain Samuel Wesselby on 13 April 1660, at St. Mary - in - the - Marsh, Norwich, Norfolkshire, England. She had only one son and one daughter from her first marriage, Benjamin and Mary She had another daughter from her marriage to Thomas Oliver, Christian Oliver ( sometimes spelled Chrestian ), born 8 May 1667. Her second marriage on 26 July 1666 was to Thomas Oliver, a widower and prominent businessman. She was earlier accused of bewitching Thomas Oliver to death, but was acquitted for lack of evidence. Her last marriage circa 1687 was to Edward Bishop, a prosperous sawyer, whose family lived in Beverly. Nature of allegations Bishop was accused of bewitching five young women, Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam, Jr., Mercy Lewis, Mary Walcott, and Elizabeth Hubbard, on the date of her examination by the authorities, 19 April 1692. A record was given of her trial by Cotton Mather in `` The Wonders of the Invisible World. '' In his book, Mather recorded that several people testified against Bishop, stating that the shape of Bishop would pinch, choke or bite them. The shape also threatened to drown one victim if she did not write her name in a certain book. During the trial, anytime Bishop would look upon one of those supposed to be tortured by her, they would be immediately struck down and only her touch would revive them. More allegations were made during the trial including that of a woman saying that the apparition of Bishop tore her coat, upon further examination her coat was found to be torn in the exact spot. Mather mentions that the truth of these many accusations carried too much suspicion, however. William Stacy, a middle aged man in Salem Town, testified that Bishop had previously made statements to him that other people in the town considered her to be a witch. He confronted her with the allegation that she was using witchcraft to torment him, which she denied. Another local man, Samuel Shattuck, accused Bishop of bewitching his child and also of striking his son with a spade. He also testified that Bishop asked him to dye lace, which apparently was too small to be used on anything but a poppet ( doll used in spell - casting ). John and William Bly, father and son, testified about finding poppets in Bishop 's house and also about their cat that appeared to be bewitched, or poisoned, after a dispute with Bishop. Other victims of Bishop, as recorded by Mather, include Deliverance Hobbs, John Cook, Samuel Gray, Richard Coman, and John Louder. During her sentencing, a jury of women found a third nipple upon Bishop ( then considered a sure sign of witchcraft ), yet upon a second examination the nipple was not found. In the end Mather states that the biggest thing that condemned Bishop was the gross amount of lying she committed in court. According to Mather, `` there was little occasion to prove the witchcraft, it being evident and notorious to all beholders. '' Bishop was sentenced to death and hanged. References Jump up ^ http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/wiccanpaganhistory/p/Bridget_Bishop.htm for an example of this historical research. Jump up ^ `` The Salem witchcraft papers, Volume 1 : verbatim transcripts of the legal documents of the Salem witchcraft outbreak of 1692 / edited by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum ''. Etext.virginia.edu. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 2011 - 06 - 02. Jump up ^ `` The Salem witchcraft papers, Volume 1 : verbatim transcripts of the legal documents of the Salem witchcraft outbreak of 1692 / edited by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum ''. Etext.virginia.edu. Archived from the original on 2012 - 07 - 12. Retrieved 2011 - 06 - 02. Jump up ^ See the indictment against Sarah Good, a resident of Salem Village http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=BoySal2.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/oldsalem&tag=public&part=29&division=div2 Jump up ^ Bridget Bishop Executed, June 10, 1692 : ' The Examination of Bridget Byshop at Salem Village 19. Apr. 1692 ', by John Hauthorn & Jonath Corwin Esq'rs. Jump up ^ Anderson, Robert Charles. `` Bridget ( Playfer ) ( Wasselbe ) ( Oliver ) Bishop '', The American Genealogist ( October 1989 ), 64 : 207. ( https://books.google.com/books?id=QfwnAQAAMAAJ&dq=playfer+genealogy&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=wasselbeeThe American Genealogist Jump up ^ `` England Deaths and Burials, 1538 - 1991 '' ( Benjamin Waselby ), Middlesex, England ; Burial Date : 26 Sep 1664. Jump up ^ `` Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639 - 1915 '', BOSTON, SUFFOLK, MASSACHUSETTS ; 10 Jan 1665. Jump up ^ Vital Records of the Town of Salem, Volume 1, Births, Salem, MA : Essex Institute. 1916. Jump up ^ Vital Records of the Town of Salem. Salem, MA : Essex Institute. 1924. Jump up ^ Rosenthal, Bernard ( 1995 - 09 - 29 ). Salem Story : Reading the Witch Trials of 1692. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521558204. Jump up ^ Hall, David D. ( 2005 - 02 - 04 ). Witch - Hunting in Seventeenth - Century New England : A Documentary History 1638 -- 1693, Second Edition. Duke University Press. ISBN 0822336138. Jump up ^ Findling, John E. ; Thackeray, Frank W. ( 2000 - 01 - 01 ). Events that Changed America Through the Seventeenth Century. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313290831. Jump up ^ Warnke, Mike ( 1972 ). The Satan Seller. Logos International. p. 91. ISBN 0 - 912106 - 79 - 4. A witch with a long family tree. An ancestor of hers by the same name was hanged there June 10, 1692, but do n't sweat it, Mike, they do n't do that anymore. Further reading Boyer, Paul S. ; Nissenbaum, Stephen ( 1999 ). Salem Possessed : The Social Origins of Witchcraft. USA & UK : Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674785267. Hearn, Daniel Allen ( 1976 ). Legal Executions in New England : A Comprehensive Reference, 1623 - 1960. Boston : McFarland. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7864 - 3248 - 6. Cooke, William H. ( 2009 ). Justice at Salem. Undertaker Press. Goss, K. David ( 2007 ). The Salem Witch Trials : A Reference Guide. Greenwood. ISBN 0 - 313 - 32095 - 0. Hill, Francis ( 2000 ). The Salem Witch Trials Reader. Da Capo Press. Karlsen, Carol F. ( 1998 ). The Devil in the Shape of a Woman. WW Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393317596. Rosenthal, Bernard ( 1993 ). Salem Story : reading the witch trials of 1692. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521558204. Savage, James ( 1860 ). A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England. Boston, MA : Little Brown & Co. Upham, Charles ( 1980 ). Salem Witchcraft : Volume I. New York : Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. pp. 143, 191 -- 7. Upham, Charles ( 1980 ). Salem Witchcraft : Volume II. New York : Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. pp. 114, 125 -- 8, 253, 256 -- 7, 463. Wilson, Jennifer M. ( 2005 ). Witch. ISBN 1 - 4208 - 2109 - 1. Vital Records of the Town of Salem. Salem, MA : Essex Institute. 1924. The Wonders of the Invisible World. London, UK : John Russell Smith. 1862. The Salem Witchcraft Papers on Bridget Bishop Salem witch trials ( 1692 -- 93 ) Timeline People Cultural depictions Magistrates and court officials Jonathan Corwin Bartholomew Gedney John Hathorne Joseph Herrick George Herrick John Richards Nathaniel Saltonstall ( aka Nathanial Saltonstall ; resigned from the court in protest over nature of proceedings ) Samuel Sewall William Stoughton Waitstill Winthrop Town physician William Griggs Clergy Thomas Barnard George Burroughs ( convicted of withcraft and hanged ) Francis Dane John Hale John Higginson Deodat Lawson Cotton Mather Increase Mather William Milbourne Nicholas Noyes Samuel Parris Edward Payson Samuel Phillips Samuel Willard Politicians and public figures Thomas Danforth William Phips Thomas Brattle Robert Calef Thomas Maule Accusers Benjamin Abbot Ebenezer Babson William Barker Sr. Thomas Barnard Elizabeth Booth John Bly Sr. and Rebecca Bly Thomas Boreman Thomas Chandler Nathaniel Coit Mary Daniel John DeRich Joseph Draper Joseph Fowler Mary Fuller Mary Herrick John Howe Elizabeth Hubbard Joseph Hutchinson John Indian Nathaniel Ingersoll Thomas and Mary Jacobs Margaret Wilkins Knight Mercy Lewis Abigail Martin Jr. Jeremiah Neale Sarah Nurse Betty Parris Edward Payson Samuel and Ruth Perley ( or Pearly ) John and Lydia Porter Thomas Preston Ann Putnam Jr. Ann Putnam Sr. Edward Putnam Hannah Putnam John Putnam Jr. John Putnam Sr. Jonathan ( or Johnathan ) Putnam Nathaniel Putnam Thomas Putnam Nicholas Rist Margaret Rule Susannah Sheldon Mercy Short Martha Sprague Timothy Swan or Swann Christian Trask Peter Tufts Moses Tyler Jonathan Walcott Mary Walcott Richard Walker Mary Warren Joseph Whipple Bray Wilkins John Wilkins Samuel Wilkins Abigail Williams Frances Wycomb Accused but survived Arthur Abbot Nehemiah Abbot Jr. Abigail Barker Katerina Biss Edward Bishop Edward Bishop III Mary Black Anne Bradstreet Dudley Bradstreet John Bradstreet Mary Bridges Sr. Sarah Bridges Sarah Buckley John Busse ( or Buss ) Andrew Carrier Richard Carrier Sarah Carrier Thomas Carrier Jr. Bethiah Carter Jr. Bethiah Carter Sr. Rachel Clinton Sarah Cloyce Elizabeth Colson Mary Colson Francis Dane Phoebe Day Elizabeth Dicer Rebecca Dike Ann Dolliver Mehitable Downing Mary Dyer Daniel and Lydia Eames Rebecca Blake Eames Esther Elwell Martha Emerson Joseph Emons Thomas Farrar Sr. Abigail Faulkner Jr. Abigail Faulkner Sr. Dorothy Faulkner Elizabeth Fosdick Eunice Frye Dorothy Good Mary Green Sarah Noyes Hale ( wife of John Hale ) Elizabeth Hutchinson Hart Margaret Hawkes Sarah Hawkes Jr. Dorcas Hoar Deliverance Hobbs William Hobbs Elizabeth Johnson Sr. Stephen Johnson Rebecca Jacobs Jane Lilly ( or Lillie ) Mary Marston Sarah Morey Sarah Murrell Robert and Sarah Pease Joan Penney ( or Penny ) Sarah Phelps Lady Mary Phips Mary Post Susannah Post Margaret Prince Elizabeth Bassett Proctor Sarah Proctor William Proctor Sarah Davis Rice Sarah Rist Sarah Root Susanna Rootes Abigail Rowe Mary Rowe Elizabeth Scargen Ann Sears Abigail Somes Sarah Clapp Swift Mary Harrington Taylor Margaret Thacher Job Tookey Margaret Toothaker Mary Toothaker Hannah Tyler Joanna Tyler Mary Lovett Tyler Hezekiah Usher II Rachel Vinson Mary Whittredge ( or Witheridge ) Sarah Wilson Jr. Sarah Wilson Sr. Edward Wooland Confessed and / or accused others Mary Barker William Barker Jr. William Barker Sr. Sarah Bibber Mary Bridges Jr. Sarah Churchwell Deliverance Dane Rebecca Blake Eames Abigail Hobbs Margaret Jacobs Mary Lacey Jr. Mary Lacey Sr. Martha Tyler Mercy Wardwell Sarah Wardwell Mary Warren Candy Tituba Executed by hanging Bridget Bishop George Burroughs Martha Carrier Martha Corey Mary Eastey Sarah Good Elizabeth Howe George Jacobs Sr. Susannah Martin Rebecca Nurse Alice Parker Mary Ayer Parker John Proctor Ann Pudeator Wilmot Redd Margaret Scott Samuel Wardwell Sarah Wildes John Willard Pressed to death Giles Corey Born in prison Mercy, infant child of Sarah Good John Proctor III Died in prison John Durrant Lydia Dustin Ann Foster Mercy, infant child of Sarah Good Sarah Osborne Infant child of Elizabeth Scargen Roger Toothaker Escaped or otherwise fled John Alden Daniel Andrew Mary Bradbury Elizabeth Cary Phillip and Mary English Edward Farrington Mary Green George Jacobs Jr. Ephraim Stevens Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bridget_Bishop&oldid=833643703 '' Categories : 1630s births 1692 deaths People of the Salem witch trials People executed for witchcraft People executed by the Province of Massachusetts Bay Executed English women People executed by the Thirteen Colonies by hanging People executed by Massachusetts by hanging Executed English people 17th - century executions of American people 17th - century executions by England Kingdom of England emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies Lynching deaths Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from November 2016 Articles with permanently dead external links Use dmy dates from April 2016 Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from December 2014 Date of birth unknown Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Français Italiano मराठी Português Edit links This page was last edited on 1 April 2018, at 19 : 00. 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Question: who was the first person executed in the salem witch trials
Answer: Bridget Bishop