Bridget Bishop, Essay Example

My reason for choosing Bridget Bishop is because she was the first accused witch at Salem to be executed by hanging and her “blatant disregard for the respected standards of Puritan society” (“Bridget Bishop”) which makes her an early example of a true American non-conformist.

• Bishop was initially accused of witchcraft due to her unconventional lifestyle, her habit of dressing “more artistically than other women of the village,” and the fact that “fashionable apparel was regarded by some as a snare and sign of the devil.” Bishop even looked like a traditional witch with her “black hat and red paragon bodice bordered and looped with different colors” (Bridget Bishop”).
• Since Bishop was the first accused Salem witch to be executed, she certainly defined the path for the other accused witches of Salem. Also, after Bishop’s execution, a whole month passed by before other executions; one of the judges even resigned, due to being “dissatisfied with the court’s methods” (“Bridget Bishop”).
• Bishop was middle-aged (about 55 years old), married (three times), and had been accused of practicing witchcraft by others, such as her sister’s husband who told the court that Bishop “sat up all night conversing with the Devil” and by some local girls who stated that Bishop has caused them pain. Bishop was also a regular church-goer (“Bridget Bishop”).
• A warrant was issued for Bishop’s arrest on April 18, 1692 which appears to have been the date of her trial. Bishop was “no stranger to the courthouse” because she was accused of witchcraft some ten years earlier in 1680 “Bridget Bishop”).
• Bishop was convicted by the court of practicing witchcraft.
• Bishop was duly executed on June 10, 1692. She was charged, tried, and executed within an eight day period, and was “taken to Gallows Hill and executed by the sheriff, George Corwin. She displayed no remorse and professed her innocence at her execution” (“Bridget Bishop”).
• What I found especially intriguing about Mrs. Bishop is that she was a “member of good standing at Mr. Hale’s Church in Beverly,” even when the people of Salem, some of them being fellow parishioners, accused her of being in league with the Devil. Unlike some of the other women of Salem who were accused of witchcraft and executed, Bishop seems to have had poor relationships with her three husbands, due to fighting with them in public. Bishop was also fond of drink which goes completely against the Puritan ethic that one must abstain from alcohol. She was also allegedly the “mistress of two thriving taverns” in Salem (“Bridget Bishop”). I assume this means that Bishop operated the taverns or perhaps served as a barmaid. It is odd to think that in a village like Salem with its Puritan lifestyle that taverns were allowed to operate openly.

References

“Bridget Bishop.” The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692. 2014. Web. 13 April 2014.