Giles Corey facts for kids

Giles Corey (baptized 16 August 1611 – 19 September 1692) was an English farmer who lived in the American colonies. He was accused of witchcraft along with his wife, Martha Corey, during the famous Salem witch trials. When he was arrested, Giles Corey refused to say if he was guilty or not guilty. Because of this, he was put to death. His choice meant that his land and money went to his sons instead of being taken by the government.

People believe Giles Corey died in a field next to the prison where he was held. This area later became the Howard Street Cemetery in Salem, Massachusetts. His exact burial spot is not marked. There is a special memorial plaque for him in the nearby Charter Street Cemetery.

Early Life of Giles Corey

Giles Corey was born in Northampton, England. He was baptized on 16 August 1611. His parents were Giles and Elizabeth Corey. We don't know exactly when he came to North America. However, records show he was living in Salem Town by 1640. He later moved to Salem Village (now Danvers) to work as a farmer.

Giles Corey's Life in Salem

Giles Corey owned a lot of land and was a successful farmer in Salem. He was married three times. His first wife was Margaret, and they had four children: Martha, Margaret, Deliverance, and Elizabeth. His second wife was Mary Bright. They married in 1664, and they had a son named John.

In 1676, Giles Corey was accused of using too much force against one of his farm workers, Jacob Goodale. Other people, including his neighbor John Proctor, said they heard Corey admit to hitting Goodale. At that time, it was allowed to physically punish workers. So, Giles Corey was not charged with murder. Instead, he was found guilty of using "unreasonable" force and had to pay a fine.

Corey's neighbor, John Proctor, also accused him of setting his house on fire. Later, one of Proctor's sons admitted to the fire. Giles Corey's second wife, Mary Bright, died in 1684. He then married his third wife, Martha Rich. At the time of the witch trials, Giles Corey was 80 years old. He lived with Martha in Salem Village.

Accusations and Refusal to Plead

Giles Corey's wife, Martha Corey, was arrested for witchcraft on 19 March 1692. At first, Giles believed the accusations against his wife. But then, he was also arrested for witchcraft on 18 April. Others arrested that day included Mary Warren, Abigail Hobbs, and Bridget Bishop.

Giles Corey's Trial

The day after his arrest, Giles Corey was questioned by the authorities. During this questioning, Abigail Hobbs accused Giles of being a "wizard." Giles Corey denied these accusations. He also refused to enter a plea, meaning he would not say if he was guilty or not guilty. Because he refused to plead, he was sent to prison.

Giles Corey's Death

Back then, if a person refused to plead guilty or not guilty, they could not have a trial. To make people plead, the law allowed a very harsh punishment called "peine forte et dure." This meant heavy weights would be placed on the person until they either pleaded or died.

Giles Corey died on 19 September 1692, because he refused to plead. By not pleading, he made sure that his land and money would go to his sons-in-law, as he wanted in his will. If he had pleaded guilty, the government would have taken his property.

After the Trials

Giles Corey's wife, Martha, was executed three days after him, on 22 September 1692. Her son from a previous marriage later asked for money because his mother had been wrongly executed. He was given £50 in 1723.

Many people in Salem were shocked by Giles Corey's very public and painful death. This event may have made them question whether the witch trials were right. Giles Corey was officially cleared of the crime in 1712. However, Martha was not cleared at that time.

Even though Giles Corey tried to protect his land by not pleading, the sheriff still tried to get money from Corey's family after the trials. In 1710, Corey's daughter Elizabeth and her husband sued the sheriff. They said that after their father died, the sheriff threatened to take their land. Because they were afraid, they paid him a large sum of money.

Giles Corey's Legacy

Local Legends

There is a local legend that says the ghost of Giles Corey appears and walks through his graveyard whenever a disaster is about to happen in Salem. People said he appeared the night before the Great Salem Fire of 1914.

The job of Sheriff of Essex County was also said to have a "curse of Giles Corey." Many sheriffs after the witch trials either died or resigned because of heart or blood problems. People say the curse ended when the sheriff's office moved from Salem to Middleton in 1991.

In Books and Plays

Giles Corey is a character in a play by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called Giles Corey of the Salem Farms. He is also in an 1893 play, Giles Corey, Yeoman, by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman.

Images for kids

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  Memorial marker in Salem, Massachusetts

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  "Father Father", illustration accompanying Giles Cory, Yeoman, a play by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume LXXXVI, 1893.

See also

In Spanish: Giles Corey para niños