Elizabeth Proctor
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Elizabeth Proctor was an indirect victim of the Salem Witch Trials whose husband, John Proctor, was executed; however, Elizabeth herself was not actually hanged because she was pregnant at the time. She was accused by the Putnams, who had an old rivalry with her family.
Her maiden name was Elizabeth Bassett, daughter of William Bassett and Mary Burt. She was the third wife of John Proctor. Elizabeth was accused of being a witch and arrested in April 1692. Though she was tried and convicted, she was given a stay until after the baby was born.
In January 1693, while still in jail, Elizabeth (Bassett) Proctor gave birth to a son, John Proctor, Jr. Elizabeth and John, Jr. remained in jail until May 1693 when a general release freed all of those prisoners who remained jailed. Unfortunately, even though the general belief of the people was that innocent people had been wrongly convicted, Elizabeth had in fact been convicted and was considered guilty. In the eyes of the law she was considered a "dead woman" and could not claim any of her husband's estate. Elizabeth petitioned the court for a reversal of attainder to restore her legal rights. No action was taken for 7 years.
In June 1696, Elizabeth filed an appeal to contest her husband's will. At the time John wrote his will, he had assumed that Elizabeth would be executed and had left her nothing. Sometime during 1696, Elizabeth married again to Daniel Richards.
In July 1703, several more people filed petitions before any action was taken on Elizabeth’s appeal for reversal of attainder. The Massachusetts House of Representatives finally passed a bill disallowing spectral evidence. However, they only gave reversal of attainder for those who had filed petitions. This basically applied to only 3 people – John & Elizabeth Proctor and Rebecca Nurse.
In 1704, another petition was filed requesting a more equitable settlement for those wrongly accused. In 1709, the General Court received a request to take action on this proposal. In May 1709, 22 people who had been convicted of witchcraft, or whose parents had been convicted of witchcraft, presented the government with a petition in which they demanded both a reversal of attainder and compensation for financial losses.
On October 17, 1711, the General Court passed a bill reversing the judgment against the 22 people listed in the 1709 petition. There were still an additional 7 people who had been convicted, but who had not signed the petition. There was no reversal of attainder for them.
On December 11, 1711, monetary compensation was finally awarded to the 22 people in the 1709 petition. 578 pounds 12 shillings was authorized to be divided among the survivors and relatives of those accused. Most of the accounts were settled within a year. ₤150 was awarded to the Proctor family for John & Elizabeth. The Proctor family received much more money from the Massachusetts General Court than most families of accused witches.
By 1954, not all the condemned had been exonerated. Descendants of those falsely accused demanded the General Court clear the names of their family members. In 1954 an act was passed pronouncing all guiltless.
[edit] Fiction
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Elizabeth becomes an instrumental part of the play when she fires Abigail Williams, who is having an affair with her husband John. Elizabeth Proctor is portrayed as a very pious woman; however, she and her husband don't always attend church services, which makes Reverend John Hale suspect that they may be involved in witchcraft. Elizabeth is taken away to jail and it is up to her husband to defend her. She is a very honest woman and stays by John even in the midst of his adulterous affair. Although Elizabeth is portrayed as cold and aloof at times, she is a dedicated and devoted wife and mother. The fact that she loves her husband becomes obvious when she is brought into the court to verify John Proctor's affair with Abigail. She wants to protect him from being punished for adultery and for that reason lies.
[edit] References
University of Massachusetts: John Proctor
The Devil Discovered : Salem Witchcraft, 1692 by Enders A. Robinson
Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft by Paul Boyer
Chronicles of Old Salem, A History in Miniature by Francis Diane Robotti
The Devil in Massachusetts: A Modern Enquiry into the Salem Witch Trials by Marion L. Starkey
A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials by Frances Hill
The Salem Witch Trials Reader by Frances Hill
The Witchcraft of Salem Village by Shirley Jackson
Salem Witchcraft; With an Account of Salem Village and a History of Opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Subjects. by Charles W. Upham
The Devil Hath Been Raised: A Documentary History of the Salem Village Witchcraft Outbreak of March 1692 by Richard B. Trask
The Visionary Girls: Witchcraft in Salem Village by Marion Lena Starkey
[edit] External links
| Salem witch trials | |
|---|---|
| Authorities | Thomas Danforth | John Hale | Increase Mather | Samuel Parris | William Phips | William Stoughton |
| Accusers | Elizabeth Hubbard | Mercy Lewis | Betty Parris | Ann Putnam, Jr. | Susannah Sheldon | Mary Walcott | Abigail Williams |
| Accused | John Alden | Edward Bishop | Sarah Bishop | Mary Black | Mary Bradbury | Sarah Cloyce | Rebecca Eames | Mary English | Phillip English | Abigail Faulkner | Dorcas Good | William Hobbs | Mary Lacy | Sarah Morey | Benjamin Proctor | Elizabeth Proctor | Sarah Proctor | William Proctor |
| Confessed and Accused Others | Dorcas Hoar | Abigail Hobbs | Deliverance Hobbs | Margaret Jacobs | Tituba | Mary Warren |
| Executed | Bridget Bishop | George Burroughs | Martha Carrier | Martha Corey | Mary Eastey | Sarah Good | Elizabeth Howe | George Jacobs, Sr. | Susannah Martin | Rebecca Nurse | Alice Parker | Mary Parker | John Proctor | Ann Pudeator | Wilmot Redd | Margaret Scott | Samuel Wardwell | Sarah Wildes | John Willard |
| Died in Prison | Lydia Dustin | Ann Foster | Sarah Osborn | Roger Toothaker |
|
Died During Interrogation |
Giles Corey |
