A Family of Witches: The Towne Family and Witchcraft Accusations in Seventeenth Century Massachusetts
Abstract:
The Puritan culture embodied both religious theology and magical practices. Each of these could coexist in the religious culture because not everyone realized that they were acting against Puritan theology, not all people saw magic as a compact with the Devil, many people needed answers not provided to them by the Puritan religion, and not everyone in New England believed in Puritan teachings. Although magic existed in New England and was practiced by many people, it was the religious and historical aspects of the Puritan culture that determined the position of women in society. This religious basis for the role of women made them more vulnerable to witchcraft accusation than men. Historians John Demos and Carol Karlsen have proposed a list of attributes that made some woman more likely to be accused of witchcraft than others. Joanna Towne, Rebecca Nurse, Mary Esty, and Sarah Cloyce were accused of witchcraft because they challenged the position of women in seventeenth century colonial New England. Each of these women stood out in the community because they embodied several of the characteristics proposed by Demos and Karlsen as attributes that made someone vulnerable to witchcraft accusations.