Examination

In the 1692 witch trial era, when someone was "examined" what is usually meant is that they were brought in for an investigation, separately from any others examined the same day. The first part of the examination usually included accusers confronting the accused -- and often demonstrating the effect that the accused (or their specters) were having on the accusers at that moment -- and then the accused were questioned by the magistrates. The examinations often included an investigation by a doctor (often unnamed in the records) or local women to see if the accused had birth marks, moles or other markings on the body that were thought to be marks of a witch or a devil's mark, sometimes called a "witch's teat," indicating that the person had made a pact with the devil.