Martin Williams

“The Trial of George Jacobs, August 5, 1692”. By T.H. Matteson, Oil on canvas, 1855.(Photo by Mark Sexton). Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

Discuss what you think is happening in the picture.

Who are these people?

“The Trial of George Jacobs, August 5, 1692”. By T.H. Matteson, Oil on canvas, 1855.(Photo by Mark Sexton). Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

Discuss what you think is happening in the picture.

Who are these people?

“The Trial of George Jacobs, August 5, 1692”. By T.H. Matteson, Oil on canvas, 1855.(Photo by Mark Sexton). Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

Discuss what you think is happening in the picture.

Who are these people?

People affected by witchcraft faint

Young girl accusing George Jacobs of being a

Warlock

George Jacobs – accused of witchcraft

What do you think this lady is doing?

Hanged in

Salem,

New England,

1692

The people of Salem suffered a great deal

prior to 1692. Taxes were high and a

number of people were killed by Indians,

who were thought to be agents of the

Devil.

In fact the people of Salem who had

arrived as colonists from Europe before

1692 suffered so many hardships that it is

no wonder that many thought that the

Devil was amongst them causing things

to go wrong.As you know belief in witchcraft was not new in the 1600’s. In

England the church had given licenses to ministers to cast out devils

and Matthew Hopkins had been employed to round up witches for

execution.

Events in Salem, Massachusetts, New

England

George Jacobs was an old man who had to have the aid of two sticks

while walking. When accused of witchcraft and taken before the

magistrates, one of whom began the trial with the words, “Here are

those that accuse you of acts of witchcraft”, George Jacobs replied

bravely, “Well, let us hear who are they and what are they.”

When his servant stood forward and accused him of

practising witchcraft George Jacobs replied with:

“You tax me for a wizard: you may as well tax me for

a buzzard. I have done no harm.” The magistrates

asked him to recite the Lord’s Prayer and he

apparently “missed out several parts of it”.

George Jacobs was condemned

to death and hung in 1692.

Attacks by Indians 1689-1691

The children

named people within the

community who they said were witches

The children were said to be

bewitched when they fell into fits

Children in Salem met to practice Occult Arts

Twenty people were hung and hundreds

arrested due to the accusations

The trials ended in 1693. No ‘witch’

was killed again in the American

Colonies

These paintings and illustrations have been reproduced with the kind permission of

Peabody Essex Museum, Massachusetts. Click upon the picture that you would like to

study

Next set of pictures

“Examination of a witch”. By T.H. Matteson, Oil on canvas, 1854.(Photo by Mark Sexton). Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

What do you think is happening here?

“Examination of a witch”. By T.H. Matteson, Oil on canvas, 1854.(Photo by Mark Sexton). Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

Who do you think this person is supposed to be?

“Examination of a witch”. By T.H. Matteson, Oil on canvas, 1854.(Photo by Mark Sexton). Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

What do you think is happening here?

“Examination of a witch”. By T.H. Matteson, Oil on canvas, 1854.(Photo by Mark Sexton). Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

What do you think is happening here?

“Examination of a witch”. By T.H. Matteson, Oil on canvas, 1854.(Photo by Mark Sexton). Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

Who do you think this person is?What is he doing?

“Examination of a witch”. By T.H. Matteson, Oil on canvas, 1854.(Photo by Mark Sexton). Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

Who do you think this person is?What may his job be?

“Examination of a witch”. By T.H. Matteson, Oil on canvas, 1854.(Photo by Mark Sexton). Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

What may this man be trying to do?

“Examination of a witch”. By T.H. Matteson, Oil on canvas, 1854.(Photo by Mark Sexton). Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

Witch Tests and Trials

Witch examinations often involved looking for a witch-

mark. This was supposed to be where familiars sucked

blood from

the witch.

Sometimes large pins were pushed into the witch-mark. If

the person did not cry out in pain (or if she did not bleed from

the wound!) she was a witch.

Other witches were ducked or thrown into water with their

hands tied. If they sank (and drowned!) they were said

to be innocent and if they floated they were guilty

and hung or burnt.

These paintings and illustrations have been reproduced with the kind permission of

Peabody Essex Museum, Massachusetts.

Click upon the picture that you would like to study

Recap

Here is an example of some of the punishments that were used during the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries.

"Old Boston Town House Square, about 1657“ Stocks Old Boston Townhouse, ca, 1657

Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts

Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

What do you think is happening in this picture?

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Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

What do you think is happening in this picture?

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Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

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Highlight areas of the picture that you would like to discuss

Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

Who can you see and what are they doing?

Why did people treat those suspected of witchcraft in this way?

THE END

Image courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem,

Massachusetts.