Edward Bishop (of Salem MA in 1692)

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Contents 1 Edward Bishop of Salem MA 2 Notablity 3 Early Circumstances 4 Second Marriage 5 Involvement in the Salem witchcraft trials 6 afterward 7 Sources

[edit] Edward Bishop of Salem MA

[edit] Notablity

Edward Bishop married 2d, as her third husband, Bridget the widow of Thomas Oliver. Both Bridget Bishop and Edward Bishop were arrested and jailed in April of 1692 on accusation of witchcraft. Edward was able to "brake goal" and his son Samuel later redeemed his property. Bridget didn't fare as well, she was the first of the accused executed in the Salem witchcraft trials.

[edit] Early Circumstances

He was probably born in England and his father Edward Bishop brought him to Salem MA where they were living as of 1639. They had moved to Beverly MA as of 1667 where they lived on the North side of Conant St. At the time of his second marriage he was a sawyer, which was one of the more highly paid occupations in New England (according to the early sources he was engaged in the operation of a pit saw). As England's need of lumber was one of the major reasons for the settlement of New England he was well fixed and (according to the sources) well respected, and perhaps even envied.

[edit] Second Marriage

About 1680 (or perhaps in 1687) he married Bridget widow of George Wasselbe and Thomas Oliver. Her second marriage had been a troubled one but Thomas Oliver's death had left her well off financially. Unfortunately her prosperity was also troubled with resentful inlaws who felt that they were more deserving of Thomas Oliver's property than she. This was especially the case involving a house near the Meeting House in Salem (perhaps across the street) which at the time of the troubles Bridget was managing as a public house, where she served strong cider and played shovel board with her guests until late in the evening. Upham and several websources have it that the wife of one of her second husband's sons with his first wife was a relative of (perhaps a sister of) one of the constables, and that this is where her trouble may have started. However her having been brought up on charges of witching her second husband to death seems to also have had an effect that outlasted her aquital.

[edit] Involvement in the Salem witchcraft trials

According to several of the older 19th Century Sources he and his wife Bridget were both arrested in April of 1692 on charges of Witchcraft. Upham, amoung others, seemed to think that this was purely for pecuniary reasons, and that it was only because Bridget's step children wanted her share of their fathers' property. However there may have also been a jealousy of another sort involved here. Both Edward Bishop who was a wealthy sawyer, and his wife were clearly properous. However, Thomas Oliver appears to have had a taste for outspoken and perhaps fiesty women. So that if his first wife is in any way a measure of Bridget Oliver Bishop, then it may not have just been that she liked to wear clothing with a bit more color than the norm. Certainly as the owner and manager of a public house there was an understandable reason for her to be a figure whom guests would find entertaining simply to look upon. However, it seems that her conversation was at least as entertaining, and in this she may have excited a bit too many of the people of Salem.

After their arrest Edward Bishop appears to have been able to "break goal" after which he must have gone into hiding, and his property was confiscated. Women and men were not jailed together, which is clearly why he alone was able to break away and why he was unable to free her. Appearantly his son Edward and his wife were also arrested. This appears to have been too much for him and he was unable to retrieve his wife, who became the first of the accused executed.

[edit] afterward

He married a third time in March of the next year and Hutton has him living until 1705.

In 1956 the General Court of MA finally admitted the mistake of the judges. However there also was a further legal action along the same lines involving the General Court and Bridget Oliver Bishop during the present millenium.

[edit] Sources

A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England. James Savage, Boston MA: Little Brown & Co., 1860.

Salem Witchcraft with an account of Salem Village and a history of opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Subjects. Charles W. Upham, NY: Frederick Unger Pub Co, 1978, 2 VV.