Mary Bradbury
| Mary Bradbury | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Mary Perkins bap. September 3, 1615 Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England |
| Died | December 20, 1700 (aged 85) Salisbury, Province of Massachusetts Bay |
| Known for | Salem Witch Trials convict; later exonerated while still alive |
| Spouse(s) | Thomas Bradbury |
| Children | 11 |
| Parent(s) | John and Judith (née Gater) Perkins |
| Relatives | Ray Bradbury, Bradbury Robinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson |
Mary (née Perkins) Bradbury (baptized September 3, 1615 – December 20, 1700) was tried, convicted and sentenced to hang as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, however, she managed to evade sentence until the trials had been discredited and died in 1700, aged 85.
Mary Perkins was daughter of John and Judith (née Gater) Perkins, baptized in 1615, at Warwickshire, England. Her family immigrated to America in 1631, sailing on the "Lyon" from Bristol. In 1636 she married Thomas Bradbury of Salisbury, Massachusetts, considered one of its most distinguished citizens, land agent for his great-uncle Ferdinando Gorges and son of Elizabeth Whitgift, whose uncle John Whitgift was Archbishop of Canterbury under Elizabeth and James I.
In the notorious witch trials of 1692, Mary Bradbury was indicted for (among other charges): "Certaine Detestable arts called Witchcraft & Sorceries Wickedly Mallitiously and felloniously hath used practiced and Exercised At and in the Township of Andivor in the County of Essex aforesaid in upon & against one Timothy Swann of Andivor In the County aforesaid Husbandman -- by which said Wicked Acts the said Timothy Swann upon the 26th day of July Aforesaid and divers other days & times both before and after was and is Tortured Afflicted Consumed Pined Wasted and Tormented..."
Witnesses testified that she assumed animal forms; her most unusual metamorphosis was said to have been that of a blue boar. Another allegation was that she cast spells upon ships. Over a hundred of her neighbors and townspeople testified on her behalf, but to no avail and she was found guilty of practicing magic and sentenced to be executed. Through the ongoing efforts of her friends, her execution was delayed. After the witch debacle had passed, she was released. By some accounts she was allowed to escape. Others claim she bribed her jailer. Another account claims that her husband bribed the jailer and took her away to Maine in a horse and cart. They returned to Massachusetts after the witch hysteria had died down. Mary Bradbury died of natural causes in her own bed in 1700, aged 85.
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