Government or official record
Witchcraft law up to the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692
Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries
Where this source supports the record
Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.
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Historic crimes & investigations · February 1692–May 1693Open article references →
The Salem Witch Trials
Salem Witch Trials Memorial and surviving court landscape · United States
Why editors use it hereExplains the governing law, special court, spectral evidence, executions, dissolution, and 1693 proceedings.
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Quick read
Between early 1692 and spring 1693, authorities in colonial Massachusetts accused more than two hundred people of witchcraft.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Trigger and conditions
After several young people experienced fits in the household of minister Samuel Parris, they accused Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Uncertainty
Counts vary according to whether researchers include informal accusations, unnamed suspects, and people jailed outside the best-preserved court files.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Why it matters
The episode was not an inexplicable burst of folklore.
Reviewed 26 July 2026
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Quick read