Accused witches were burned at the stake in Salem
| Accused witches were burned at the stake in Salem | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "During the Salem witch trials of 1692, people convicted of witchcraft were burned at the stake." | |
| Domain | Culture, Religion & Society |
| Tactic | False Context |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | 1800s |
| Origin | Popular conflation of the Salem witch trials with European witch hunts, where burning was a common method of execution, repeated in fiction, films and Halloween imagery |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-27 |
| Further reading: books on Culture, Religion & Society | |
The claim that accused witches were burned at the stake in Salem is a widespread misconception. In 1692 and 1693, during the witch trials in Salem and surrounding towns in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 19 people were convicted of witchcraft and executed by hanging. One man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death with heavy stones after refusing to enter a plea. Several others died in jail. No one was burned. Burning was used in parts of continental Europe and Scotland, where witchcraft was often treated as heresy, but under English law, which applied in the colonies, witchcraft was a felony punishable by hanging.
What the evidence shows
- Executions. Court records show that 19 people, 14 women and 5 men, were hanged between June and September 1692.
- Giles Corey. Corey, about 80, was subjected to "peine forte et dure," a procedure of piling heavy stones on him to force a plea. He died after two days.
- Deaths in custody. At least five accused people died in jail, including an infant.
- Legal context. English law treated witchcraft as a felony. In much of Europe, especially in the Holy Roman Empire, witches were often executed by burning, sometimes after strangulation.
- Aftermath. Within a few years, several judges and jurors expressed regret. In 1711 the colony's legislature restored the rights of some of the accused and compensated their heirs.
Why it persists
The image of witches burning is strongly associated with European witch hunts and with modern popular culture. Salem is the most famous American witch trial, so the two images merged. The general phrase "witch burning" is often used for all witch hunts.
Lessons for readers
- Different places and legal systems handled similar events differently.
- Popular images can merge distinct historical episodes.
- Check court records for historical details.
- Accuracy about methods does not lessen the injustice of the trials.
See also
- Satanic ritual abuse at the McMartin Preschool
- Jews murder Christian children for their blood
- Medieval people believed the Earth was flat
Sources
- Stacy Schiff, The Witches: Salem, 1692 (Little, Brown, 2015).
- Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil's Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 (Alfred A. Knopf, 2002).