Connecticut Witch Trial History

Stamford History Center

Stamford was a key location in the 1692 Stamford-Fairfield Witch-Hunt. Katharine Branch, a 17-year-old "afflicted by strange visions and given to blood-chilling wails of pain and fright," accused several women of bewitching her. Two of them were put on trial for witchcraft. 

Mercy Disborough / Compo Witch-Trial History

The Compo neighborhood of Westport was home of Mercy Holbridge Disborough, who was accused of witchcraft in the 1692 Stamford-Fairfield Witch-Hunt. She was convicted and condemned to die, but was reprieved.

Goody Knapp Memorial, Bridgeport

The Black Rock neighborhood in Bridgeport is the location of the Goody Knapp Memorial. Goodwife Knapp was a Fairfield resident who was accused of witchcraft, tried by the elders of the colony, and ultimately hanged in 1653 in a field that is now part of Bridgeport.

Goody Bassett Historical Sites, Stratford

Goodwife Bassett of Stratford was tried and executed in 1651. Little is known about her, including her first name and maiden name, but she was officially exonerated in 2023 and a plaque dedicated to her memory was placed on the Stratford Green. 

Goody Bassett's Ice Cream in the center of Stratford is also named for the historical figure. Modeled after a 19th-century establishment, the business is inspired by the local legend.

Windsor Historical Society

Windsor was the home of Alse (Alice) Young and Lydia Gilbert, Alice was the first person executed for witchcraft by colonial authorities in America, on May 26, 1647. Lydia was hanged for witchcraft in 1654 for supposedly bewitching a gun which misfired during a training exercise, killing a man. Goodwife Messenger was slandered here in 1673. 

The town of Windsor was at one time home to a variety of others later involved in witchcraft accusations elsewhere. Visit the Windsor Historical Society to learn more about this historic town.

Memorial for Alse Young and Lydia Gilbert, Windsor

This memorial honors Alse (Alice) Young and Lydia Gilbert, the two Connecticut women executed for witchcraft decades before the Salem trials. Their stories were rediscovered through 17th‑century church records, and both are now commemorated with engraved bricks in a small plaza on the Windsor town green. 

Stanley-Whitman House / The Mary Barnes Society

The Mary Barnes Society at Stanley-Whitman House is dedicated to supporting the study of the Connecticut Witch Trials, with the goal of a deeper understanding of the people and cultures of this time in history. It's named for Mary Barnes, a Farmington woman who was executed on January 25, 1663 - the last person executed in Connecticut for witchcraft.

Ancient Burying Ground, Hartford 

The Ancient Burying Ground Association seeks to preserve and promote Hartford’s historic burial ground. The Ancient Burying Ground contains the gravestones or markers of 14 men who had connections to the to witchcraft trials in 17th century Connecticut. Many were involved in the court proceedings as magistrates.

Connecticut Old State House, Hartford 

Hartford was the epicenter of the Hartford Witch Panic of 1662-1663; the site of most of Connecticut’s witch trials, and the primary execution site. The plaza adjacent to the Old State House was the location of the old jail, and the Old State House is on the location of the old meetinghouse.

Wallingford Historical Society / Winifred Benham Witch-Trial History

Winifred Benham and her daughter, also Winifred, were both accused of witchcraft. Their 1697 trial was the last known witch trial in New England. Visit the Wallingford Historical Society to learn more about the Benhams, who were among the founding families of the town.

Old Saybrook Historical Society

Saybrook was home of an unknown person or persons accused of witchcraft in 1659, Margaret and Nicholas Jennings (acquitted 1661), and Hannah Griswold (slandered 1657). Visit the Old Saybrook Historical Society for more information.