HAGERSTOWN, Md.

Witchcraft trials and executions were facts of life in

colonial Marland.
!ro" Southern Marland to the Eastern Shore and as far north as Anne
Arundel #ount, historians ha$e docu"ented at least %& cases of 'ersons
'rosecuted or 'ersecuted in the %())s and earl %*))s +ecause of
accusations that the 'racticed witchcraft.
There wasn,t the sa"e sort of hsteria in Marland that there was in
Massachusetts, where %- "en and wo"en were executed and "an
i"'risoned for witchcraft in %(-&.
.ut Marland and nei/h+orin/ 0ennsl$ania and 1ir/inia all had witchcraft
trials, accordin/ to Ha/erstown2+ased historian 3ohn Nelson.
Two of the earliest witchcraft cases in the Marland State Archi$es in$ol$e
executions a+oard shi's +ound for Marland fro" En/land.
Two "en who recentl had arri$ed on the #harit of 4ondon told colonial
o5cials in St. Mar,s #it in %(67 that the shi',s crew had han/ed an old
wo"an na"ed Mar 4ee after she was accused of sorcer.
Her su''osed cri"e8 su""onin/ a relentless stor" that so"e on +oard
+la"ed on 9the "ale$olence of witches.:
The second shi'+oard execution in$ol$ed Geor/e Washin/ton,s /reat2
/randfather, 3ohn Washin/ton of West"oreland #ount, 1a. He accused shi'
owner Edward 0rescott in %(6- of han/in/ Eli;a+eth Richardson as a witch.
0rescott ac<nowled/ed the han/in/ at his trial +ut was ac=uitted after he said
the shi',s ca'tain, 3ohn Green, was the one res'onsi+le. The trial was in
0atuxent, in either Anne Arundel or #harles counties.
Marland,s onl recorded execution for witchcraft on land occurred Oct. -,
%(>6, in #al$ert #ount. Re+ecca !owler was han/ed after a ?ur found her
/uilt of 9certain e$il and dia+olical arts called witchcrafts, enchant"ents,
char"s @andA sorceries.:
Hannah Edwards, also of #al$ert #ount, was ac=uitted in %(>( of si"ilar
char/es.
St. Mar,s #ount is rich in witchcraft histor, with three cases in the
historical record and a fol< tale that is 'erha's Marland,s +est2<nown +it of
witch lore.
There is no historical record of Moll Ber, +ut her le/end is as endurin/ as the
>*62'ound +oulder in front of the Old 3ail Museu" in 4eonardtown that
su''osedl +ears her hand 'rint.
The re'orted witch is said to ha$e +een dri$en fro" her ho"e on the coldest
ni/ht of the ear + townsfol< who +urned her ca+in. Ber died of ex'osure
and was found with her hand fro;en to the roc<, the stor /oes.
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