Before Salem - 9781476666488

Before SalemWitch Hunting in the Connecticut River Valley, 1647-1663\nAuthor(s): Richard S. Ross\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: McFarland & Co Inc, United States\nImprint: McFarland & Co Inc\nISBN-13: 9781476666488, 978-1476666488\nSynopsis\nDecades before the Salem Witch trials, 11 people were hanged as witches in the Connecticut River Valley. The advent of witch hunting in New England was directly influenced by the English Civil War and the witch trials in England led by Matthew Hopkins, who pioneered \""techniques\"" for examining witches.\n\nThis history examines the outbreak of witch hysteria in the Valley, focusing on accusations of demonic possession, apotropaic magic and the role of the clergy.\n\nAlthough the hysteria was eventually quelled by a progressive magistrate unwilling to try witches, accounts of the trials later influenced contemporary writers during the Salem witch hunts. The source of the document \""Grounds for Examination of a Witch\"" is identified.