Thr trials of Bridget Bishop.

Essay by Niki26High School, 11th gradeB, November 2003

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Bridget Bishop. (1640 - 1692)

In Salem, in the 1690's a great witch hunting hysteria broke out.

Witch hunting's and trials took place and were responsible for the death of more than 25 people in the effort to stamp out witches. Many innocent women, and girls as young as 5 were gaoled. Many were tortured into confessing, one person was pressed to death, using heavy weights that were placed on the chest. The first woman to be trialed was Mrs. Bridget Bishop.

Bridget bishop was born in England in 1640, when she was twenty years old she married a man by the name of George Wasselbe. They moved to Salem. But, six years later Bridget became a widow. After some time she fell in love with, and married Thomas Oliver. They had a daughter together who they called Christian. Their marriage was a stormy one at times, and they sometimes quarreled in public.

Being that their community was a puritan one, this was looked apon with scorn, Bridget and her husband were taken to the courts after two such incidents. Once, after they had a colorful argument in the street, they were made to stand together in the town square, bound back to back, and gagged as punishment for their "sinfulness".

Thomas died in 1679, she later married Edward Bishop. Bishop was a well-respected man in Salem. He not only owned a sawmill, but he also helped to found the Beverly church, but as with many respectful people, his home life was of a different type, and he often abused Bridget.

Bridget bishop's most evil spell was that of the "deadly" spell of lust; she had a smooth flattering manner with men. She was an attractive woman who flouted the puritan morals by dressing in a modest black...