Judges and Other Officials in the Salem Witch Trials

Salem Witch Trials Judges
Who were judges in the Salem witch trials, and in what capacity did each serve? Find out from this list.

John Hathorne
He helped remove George Burroughs as Salem Village minister, helped bring in minister Samuel Parris, served as justice of the peace in examining many of the witch trial witnesses, and pronounced death sentences. He was an ancestor of author Nathaniel Hawthorne who added the "w" to his name "to distance himself from Hathorne because of the role he played in the Salem trials."

Sir William Phips
Biography of the governor of Massachusetts during the time of the witchcraft accusations in Salem. He ordered in October 1692 that spectral evidence no longer be considered, and later prohibited further arrests and pardoned the remaining suspects of Salem Village.

Two Letters of Gov. William Phips (1692-1693)
October 1692 and the following February, Governor Phips issued these rulings which helped to stop the Salem witch trials.

Samuel Sewall (1652-1730)
Image, very brief biography (no mention of Salem), and an extended bibliography.

Samuel Sewall
One of the judges at Salem Village, his diary is key evidence for those trying to understand the trials. He later apologized for his part in the trials. This page includes mention of Sewall's anti-slavery and equality arguments.

William Stoughton
Chief Justice of Massachusetts and a judge in the Salem witch trials, his lack of legal expertise is sometimes blamed for the unusual courtroom procedures at Salem Village in 1692.

Members of the Jury
A list of individuals who served on the jury, May-October 1692.