“The Salem Witch Trials and 17th Century Law” will be the subject at the 7 p.m. meeting of the Lynnfield Historical Society on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at the Centre Congregational Church in Lynnfield. Rachel Christ-Doane, Director of Education at the Salem Witch Museum, will be the guest speaker. She will describe the legal and political backdrop against which the Salem witch trials played out in 1692.
The Massachusetts Bay Colony had lost its Royal Charter a decade earlier because of its refusal to comply with the civil and business dictums of the Crown. The new charter of 1691 seriously curbed the power of Puritan clergy and magistrates under whose watch the witchcraft madness in Salem had begun. In the summer of 1692, nineteen victims were executed. Newly arrived Royal Governor Sir William Phips was shocked at the Salem proceedings, especially after his own wife was accused. He established a court that immediately dismissed “spectral evidence” – testimony from witnesses that the accused persons had appeared to them in dreams or visions to do them harm. By the fall of the year, the hysteria had died down and prisoners were released.
This presentation is the second of five evening programs on the Lynnfield Historical Society’s 2024-2025 calendar. Parking is available in the rear of the Centre Congregational Church on Main Street. Refreshments will be served. All are welcome.
