Decades before the Salem Witch trials, 11 people were hanged as witches in the Connecticut River Valley. The advent of witch hunting in New England was directly influenced by the English Civil War and the witch trials in England led by Matthew Hopkins, who pioneered "techniques" for examining witches. This history examines the outbreak of witch hysteria in the Valley, focusing on accusations of demonic possession, apotropaic magic and the role of the clergy. Although the hysteria was eventually quelled by a progressive magistrate unwilling to try witches, accounts of the trials later influenced contemporary writers during the Salem witch hunts. The source of the document "Grounds for Examination of a Witch" is identified.
From 1647-1663 eleven people were hanged as witches on the New England frontier, in the Connecticut River Valley. This book examines why the witch hysteria first erupted in the Connecticut River Valley. It offers a fresh assessment of witch accusations, trials and executions, and discusses the witchcraft trials before Salem and the reasons for the continued witch hunting up to 1663.
