John Richards (Salem witch trials)

John Richards (died April 2, 1694)[1] was a colonial military officer, businessman, politician, and magistrate, best known for his participation in the Salem witch trials in 1692.

## Contents

* 1 Life
* 2 Witch trials
* 3 Death
* 4 References
* 5 Sources

## Life[edit]

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John Richards was born in England, and traveled with his parents in 1630 to North America as part of the first major wave of migration to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1644 Ricards was enrolled in the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, which he would remain involved with for the rest of his life. A resident of Dorchester for most of his life, he operated a mill, and frequently served as on the colony's general court (as its assembly was known).

The colony did not have a residency requirement, and he usually represented communities (such as Hadley that were distant from Boston, where the assembly met. In 1679 and 1680, however, he was chosen to represent Boston, and was elected speaker in 1680. From 1680-84 he served as one of the colony's assistants, whose council served as the upper body of the assembly and as the colony's highest court.

In 1681 Richards was appointed along with Joseph Dudley to represent the colony in London in an attempt to address royal concerns over the colony's administration. King Charles II had, upon his restoration, insisted that the colony exhibit more religious tolerance and adhere more closely to the Navigation Acts, both of which the colony's hardline administration had resisted doing. Richards and Dudley were unsuccessful in their negotiations with the Lords of Trade, because the colonial government had specifically denied them authority to agree to changes in the colonial charter. Richards was of the opinion that the colonial government should acquiesce to the crown demands, and was consequently voted from office in 1684. That year, the colonial charter was revoked.

In 1686 the Dominion of New England was established, with Joseph Dudley as its first governor, and Sir Edmund Andros as its second. He served as a judge under Dudley's brief administration, but was apparently opposed to Andros' unpopular rule, in which he played no part. The dominion was overturned in 1689 when Andros and Dudley were arrested in the wake of the Glorious Revolution. The old colonial administration was restored, and Richards was once again made an assistant.

## Witch trials[edit]

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In 1692 Sir William Phips arrived in the colony bearing the new charter for the Province of Massachusetts Bay, and a commission as governor. Phips' arrival occurred during the height of a witchcraft scare in the Salem area of Essex County. Phips created a Special Court of Oyer and Terminer, to which Richards was appointed.[2] This court oversaw the conviction and execution of nineteen individuals in the infamous Salem witch trials.

When the Superior Court of Judicature was formed as the province's high court, Richards was also appointed to it.[3] This court disposed of a great many more witchcraft cases, acquitting many; its witchcraft-related convictions in 1693 were vacated by Governor Phips.

## Death[edit]

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He died, reportedly from a fit of apoplexy, in Boston on April 2, 1694. He had married Ann Winthrop, the widowed daughter-in-law of founder John Winthrop; they had no children.

## References[edit]

1. ^ History of the Military Company of the Massachusetts, Now Called, the ... Books.google.com. p. 143. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
2. ^ Massachusetts Archives Collections, Governor's Council Executive Records, Vol. 2, 1692, pages 176–177. Certified copy from the original records at Her Majestie's State Paper Office, London, September 16, 1846.
3. ^ Records of the Massachusetts Supreme Court of Judicature, 1692/3, Page 1. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Judicial Archives

## Sources[edit]

* Roberts, Oliver. History of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, Volume 1
* Washburn, Emory. Sketches of Massachusetts Judicial History

Legal offices

New seat |  Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature
1692–1694  | Succeeded by

Elisha Cooke, Sr.

* v
* t
* e

Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Chief justices (1692–present)|

* Stoughton
* Winthrop
* Addington
* Winthrop
* Samuel Sewall
* Lynde Sr.
* Dudley
* Stephen Sewall
* T. Hutchinson
* Lynde Jr.
* Oliver
* Adams
* Cushing
* Sargent
* Dana
* Parsons
* Sewall
* Parker
* Shaw
* Bigelow
* Chapman
* Gray
* Morton
* W. Field
* Holmes
* Knowlton
* Rugg
* F. Field
* Qua
* R. Wilkins
* Tauro
* Hennessey
* Liacos
* H. Wilkins
* Marshall
* Ireland
* Gants
* Budd

Provincial period
Associate justices (1692–1775)|

* Danforth
* Richards
* Samuel Sewall
* Winthrop
* Cooke
* Walley
* Saffin
* Hathorne
* Leverett
* Curwin
* Lynde Sr.
* Thomas
* Davenport
* Quincy
* Dudley
* J. Cushing Sr.
* Remington
* Saltonstall
* Graves
* Stephen Sewall
* Hubbard
* Lynde Jr.
* J. Cushing Jr.
* Russell
* Oliver
* Trowbridge
* F. Hutchinson
* Ropes
* W. Cushing
* Brown

Revolutionary period
Associate justices (1775–80)|

* Sargent
* Reed
* Paine
* Warren
* Foster
* Sullivan
* D. Sewall

Commonwealth period
Associate justices (1780–present)|

* Sumner
* Dana
* N. Cushing
* Paine
* Dawes
* Bradbury
* Sewall
* Strong
* Thatcher
* Sedgwick
* Parker
* Jackson
* D. Dewey
* Putnam
* Wilde
* C. Dewey
* Lincoln
* M. Morton Sr.
* Hubbard
* Fletcher
* Forbes
* Metcalf
* Bigelow
* C. Cushing
* Merrick
* Thomas
* Hoar
* Chapman
* Gray
* Colt
* Foster
* Ames
* Wells
* M. Morton Jr.
* Devens
* Endicott
* Lord
* Soule
* W. Allen
* Devens
* W. Field
* C. Allen
* Colburn
* Holmes
* Gardner
* Knowlton
* J. Morton
* Barker
* Lathrop
* Hammond
* Loring
* Braley
* Sheldon
* Rugg
* Decourcy
* Crosby
* Pierce
* Carroll
* Jenney
* Wait
* Sanderson
* F. Field
* Donahue
* Lummus
* Qua
* Cox
* Dolan
* Ronan
* Spalding
* R. Wilkins
* Williams
* Counihan
* Whittemore
* Cutter
* Kirk
* Jacob Spiegel
* Reardon
* Quirico
* Braucher
* Hennessey
* Kaplan
* H. Wilkins
* Liacos
* Abrams
* Lynch
* Nolan
* O'Connor
* Greaney
* Fried
* Marshall
* Ireland
* Cowin
* Spina
* Sosman
* Cordy
* Botsford
* Gants
* Duffly
* Lenk
* Hines
* Gaziano
* Lowy
* Budd
* Cypher
* Kafker
* Wendlandt
* Georges Jr.

* Italics indicate individuals who were offered seats on the court, but refused

* v
* t
* e

Salem witch trials (1692–93)

* Timeline
* People
* Cultural depictions

Magistrates and
court officials|

* Jonathan Corwin
* Bartholomew Gedney
* John Hathorne
* Joseph Herrick
* George Herrick
* John Richards
* Nathanial (or Nathaniel) Saltonstall
* Samuel Sewall
* William Stoughton
* Waitstill Winthrop

Town physician|

* William Griggs

Clergy|

* Thomas Barnard
* George Burroughs (convicted of witchcraft and hanged)
* Francis Dane
* John Hale
* John Higginson
* Deodat Lawson
* Cotton Mather
* Increase Mather
* William Milbourne
* Nicholas Noyes
* Samuel Parris
* Edward Payson
* Samuel Phillips
* Samuel Willard

Politicians, writers,
and public figures|

* Thomas Danforth
* James Russell
* William Phips
* Thomas Brattle
* Robert Calef
* Thomas Maule

Accusers|

* Benjamin Abbot
* Ebenezer Babson
* William Barker Sr.
* Thomas Barnard
* James Best Jr.
* James Best Sr.
* Elizabeth Booth
* John Bly Sr. and Rebecca Bly
* Thomas Boreman
* Thomas Chandler
* Nathaniel Coit
* Mary Daniel
* John DeRich
* Joseph Draper
* John Emerson
* Ralph Farnum Sr.
* Hannah Foster
* Joseph Fowler
* Mary Fuller
* Mary Herrick
* John Howe
* Elizabeth Hubbard
* Joseph Hutchinson
* John Indian
* Nathaniel Ingersoll
* Thomas and Mary Jacobs
* Henry Kinney
* Margaret Wilkins Knight
* Mercy Lewis
* Abigail Martin Jr.
* Jeremiah Neale
* Sarah Nurse
* Betty Parris
* Edward Payson
* Samuel and Ruth Perley (or Pearly)
* Samuel Pickworth
* Thomas Preston
* Ann Putnam Jr.
* Ann Putnam Sr.
* Edward Putnam
* Hannah Putnam
* John Putnam Jr.
* John Putnam Sr.
* Jonathan (or Johnathan) Putnam
* Nathaniel Putnam
* Thomas Putnam
* Nicholas Rist
* Margaret Rule
* Susannah Sheldon
* Mercy Short
* Martha Sprague
* Timothy Swan or Swann
* Christian Trask
* Peter Tufts
* Moses Tyler
* Jonathan Walcott
* Mary Walcott
* Richard Walker
* Mary Warren
* Joseph Whipple
* Bray Wilkins
* John Wilkins
* Samuel Wilkins
* Abigail Williams
* Daniel Wycom or Wicom or Wycombe
* Frances Wycom or Wycome or Wycombe

Accused but survived|

* Arthur Abbot
* Nehemiah Abbot Jr.
* John Alden
* Abigail Barker
* Katerina Biss
* Edward Bishop
* Edward Bishop III
* Mary Black
* Anne Bradstreet
* Dudley Bradstreet
* John Bradstreet
* Mary Bridges Sr.
* Sarah Bridges
* Sarah Buckley
* John Busse (or Buss)
* Andrew Carrier
* Richard Carrier
* Sarah Carrier
* Thomas Carrier Jr.
* Bethiah Carter Jr.
* Bethiah Carter Sr.
* Rachel Clinton
* Sarah Cloyce
* Elizabeth Colson
* Mary Colson
* Francis Dane
* Phoebe Day
* Elizabeth Dicer
* Rebecca Dike
* Ann Dolliver
* Mehitable Downing
* Mary Dyer
* Daniel and Lydia Eames
* Rebecca Blake Eames
* Esther Elwell
* Martha Emerson
* Joseph Emons
* Thomas Farrar Sr.
* Abigail Faulkner Jr.
* Abigail Faulkner Sr.
* Dorothy Faulkner
* Elizabeth Fosdick
* Eunice Frye
* Dorothy Good
* Mary Green
* Sarah Noyes Hale (wife of John Hale)
* Elizabeth Hutchinson Hart
* Margaret Hawkes
* Sarah Hawkes Jr.
* Dorcas Hoar
* Deliverance Hobbs
* William Hobbs
* Elizabeth Johnson Sr.
* Stephen Johnson
* Rebecca Jacobs
* Jane Lilly (or Lillie)
* Mary Marston
* Sarah Morey
* Sarah Murrell
* Robert and Sarah Pease
* Joan Penney (or Penny)
* Sarah Phelps
* Lady Mary Phips
* Mary Post
* Susannah Post
* Margaret Prince
* Elizabeth Proctor
* Sarah Proctor
* William Proctor
* Sarah Davis Rice
* Sarah Rist
* Sarah Root
* Susanna Rootes
* Abigail Rowe
* Mary Rowe
* Elizabeth Scargen
* Ann Sears
* Abigail Somes
* Sarah Clapp Swift
* Mary Harrington Taylor
* Margaret Thacher
* Job Tookey
* Margaret Toothaker
* Mary Toothaker
* Hannah Tyler
* Mary Lovett Tyler
* Hezekiah Usher II
* Rachel Vinson
* Mary Whittredge (or Witheridge)
* Sarah Wilson Jr.
* Sarah Wilson Sr.
* Edward Wooland

Confessed and/or
accused others|

* Mary Barker
* William Barker Jr.
* William Barker Sr.
* Sarah Bibber
* Mary Bridges Jr.
* Sarah Churchwell
* Deliverance Dane
* Rebecca Eames
* Abigail Hobbs
* Margaret Jacobs
* Mary Lacey Jr.
* Mary Lacey Sr.
* Joanna Tyler
* Martha Tyler
* Mercy Wardwell
* Sarah Wardwell
* Mary Warren
* Candy
* Tituba

Executed by hanging|

* Bridget Bishop
* George Burroughs
* Martha Carrier
* Martha Corey
* Mary Eastey
* Sarah Good
* Elizabeth Howe
* George Jacobs Sr.
* Susannah Martin
* Rebecca Nurse
* Alice Parker
* Mary Ayer Parker
* John Proctor
* Ann Pudeator
* Wilmot Redd
* Margaret Scott
* Samuel Wardwell
* Sarah Wildes
* John Willard

Pressed to death|

* Giles Corey

Born in prison|

* Mercy, infant child of Sarah Good
* John Proctor III

Died in prison|

* John Durrant
* Lydia Dustin
* Ann Foster
* Mercy, infant child of Sarah Good
* Sarah Osborne
* Infant child of Elizabeth Scargen
* Roger Toothaker

Escaped or
otherwise fled|

* John Alden
* Daniel Andrew
* Mary Bradbury
* Elizabeth Cary
* Phillip and Mary English
* Edward Farrington
* Mary Green
* George Jacobs Jr.
* Ephraim Stevens

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