The Witchcraft Delusion of 1692 is an unpublished manuscript by Gov. Thomas Hutchinson, providing an account of the infamous Salem witch trials in Massachusetts. Written over a century after the events it describes, it draws on contemporary accounts and eyewitness testimony to provide a firsthand account of the political and religious tensions that existed in the Puritan colony of Massachusetts Bay during the late 17th century. The trials were triggered by a series of unexplained illnesses and strange behaviors attributed to witchcraft, and the accusers were mostly young girls who claimed to have been bewitched by certain individuals in the community. Dozens of people were accused, tried, and executed for witchcraft, causing great damage before the hysteria subsided in early 1693.((Hutchinson, Thomas, and William Frederick Poole. The Witchcraft Delusion of 1692, by Gov.Thomas Hutchinson. from an Unpublished Manuscript (an Early Draft of His History of Massachusetts) in the Massachusetts Archives. Privately Printed, 1870.From the Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project 1692-1693 https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/home.html, accessed April 10, 2023))
Hutchinson was sympathetic to the accused and believed the trials were based on false accusations and hysteria. He was in a unique position to observe the events as they unfolded since he was the Lieutenant Governor of the colony. The significance of Hutchinson’s manuscript lies in its contribution to our understanding of the social and cultural context in which the witch trials occurred. It shows how the Puritan religious establishment was losing its grip on the community, and this created a sense of anxiety and insecurity that was exploited by the accusers. Hutchinson highlights the role of gender and power in the trials, showing how the accusers were mostly young girls and the accused were mainly women. ((Hutchinson, Thomas, and William Frederick Poole. The Witchcraft Delusion of 1692, by Gov.Thomas Hutchinson. from an Unpublished Manuscript (an Early Draft of His History of Massachusetts) in the Massachusetts Archives. Privately Printed, 1870. From the Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project 1692-1693 https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/home.html, accessed April 10, 2023))
The Witchcraft Delusion of 1692 is the primary source that provides insights into the social and cultural context of the Salem witch trials. The secondary sources, such as Putnam’s Witchcraft of New England Explained by Modern Spiritualism and Pudney’s A Defence of Witchcraft Belief, provide contrasting views on the beliefs surrounding witchcraft. Putnam argues that the trials were a result of superstition and hysteria, whereas Pudney suggests that belief in witchcraft was widespread in the 16th century. DEELEY’s Witchcraft and Psychosis: Perspectives from Psychopathology and Cultural Neuroscience offers a modern perspective, explaining that the behaviors and experiences attributed to witchcraft during this time period could be explained by mental illness. Durrant and Bailey’s Historical Dictionary of Witchcraft provides a comprehensive overview of the history of witchcraft, including the Salem Witch Trials.((Putnam, Allen. Witchcraft of New England Explained by Modern Spiritualism. Auckland: The Floating Press, 2014. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=e900xww&AN=828129&site=eds-live.https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=17&sid=197c929e-bc9a-4de7-b85d-b520c93ea5f3%40redis&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPXNzbyZzaXRlPWVkcy1saXZl#AN=828129&db=e900xww))((Eric Pudney. A Defence of Witchcraft Belief : A Sixteenth-Century Response to Reginald Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2021. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=e089mna&AN=3259252&site=eds-live.https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=13&sid=197c929e-bc9a-4de7-b85d-b520c93ea5f3%40redis&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPXNzbyZzaXRlPWVkcy1saXZl#AN=3259252&db=e089mna))((Jonathan Durrant, and Michael D. Bailey. Historical Dictionary of Witchcraft. Vol. 2nd ed. Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2012. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=e900xww&AN=548001&site=eds-live.https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/ebookviewer/ebook/ZTkwMHh3d19fNTQ4MDAxX19BTg2?sid=197c929e-bc9a-4de7-b85d-b520c93ea5f3@redis&vid=12&format=EB&rid=15))
Hutchinson’s skepticism about the accusations of witchcraft is evident in the Witchcraft Delusion of 1692. He describes the trials as a “delusion” and suggests that the accusers were motivated by jealousy and spite. He also criticizes the court for allowing “spectral evidence,” which was testimony from the accusers that they saw the apparitions of the accused. Hutchinson suggests that the trials were an example of the dangers of unchecked religious and political power. ((Hutchinson, Thomas, and William Frederick Poole. The Witchcraft Delusion of 1692, by Gov.Thomas Hutchinson. from an Unpublished Manuscript (an Early Draft of His History of Massachusetts) in the Massachusetts Archives. Privately Printed, 1870.From the Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project 1692-1693https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/home.html, accessed April 10, 2023))
DEELEY’s Witchcraft and Psychosis: Perspectives from Psychopathology and Cultural Neuroscience examines the psychological and cultural factors that contributed to the Salem Witch Trials. DEELEY suggests that many of the behaviors and experiences attributed to witchcraft during this time period could be explained by mental illness, and the trials were a reflection of the society’s lack of understanding and fear of mental illness. DEELEY argues that “The trials and executions that took place in Salem in 1692 represent a tragic example of how human beliefs and behaviors can result in fatal outcomes.”
Pudney’s A Defence of Witchcraft Belief examines the 16th-century debate over the reality of witchcraft. The book lays the groundwork for the witch-hunts of the following century. Pudney provides a contrasting view to Putnam’s argument that the witch trials were a product of superstition and hysteria. Pudney highlights that belief in witchcraft was widespread in the 16th century and not limited to the Puritan colonies. Pudney suggests that the belief in witchcraft was the result of the Church’s teaching about the reality of the devil, and the belief that God allowed the devil to perform miracles to test the faith of believers. ((Putnam, Allen. Witchcraft of New England Explained by Modern Spiritualism. Auckland: The Floating Press, 2014. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=e900xww&AN=828129&site=eds-live.https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=17&sid=197c929e-bc9a-4de7-b85d-b520c93ea5f3%40redis&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPXNzbyZzaXRlPWVkcy1saXZl#AN=828129&db=e900xww)) ((Eric Pudney. A Defence of Witchcraft Belief : A Sixteenth-Century Response to Reginald Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2021. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=e089mna&AN=3259252&site=eds-live.https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=13&sid=197c929e-bc9a-4de7-b85d-b520c93ea5f3%40redis&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPXNzbyZzaXRlPWVkcy1saXZl#AN=3259252&db=e089mna)) ((Jonathan Durrant, and Michael D. Bailey. Historical Dictionary of Witchcraft. Vol. 2nd ed. Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2012. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=e900xww&AN=548001&site=eds-live.https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/ebookviewer/ebook/ZTkwMHh3d19fNTQ4MDAxX19BTg2?sid=197c929e-bc9a-4de7-b85d-b520c93ea5f3@redis&vid=12&format=EB&rid=15))
The Witchcraft of New England Explained by Modern Spiritualism, by Allen Putnam, offers a unique perspective on the Salem witch trials and other instances of witchcraft in colonial New England. Putnam argues that the phenomena can be explained by spiritualism, a movement that gained popularity in the 19th century. This view differs significantly from that of Gov. Thomas Hutchinson, whose manuscript drafts his take on the History of Massachusetts, has a more traditional approach to the subject, blaming the witchcraft delusion on religious fanaticism and the credulity of the people. While Putnam’s explanation of witchcraft as a spiritualist phenomenon may seem unconventional, it is important to consider the diverse perspectives on this historical event to gain a more complete understanding of its complexity. ((Putnam, Allen. Witchcraft of New England Explained by Modern Spiritualism. Auckland: The Floating Press, 2014. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=e900xww&AN=828129&site=eds-live.https://eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=17&sid=197c929e-bc9a-4de7-b85d-b520c93ea5f3%40redis&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPXNzbyZzaXRlPWVkcy1saXZl#AN=828129&db=e900xww))
An analysis of the Witchcraft Delusion of 1692 reveals the author’s skepticism about the accusations of witchcraft. Hutchinson describes the trials as a “delusion” and suggests that the accusers were motivated by jealousy and spite. He also criticizes the court for allowing “spectral evidence” (testimony from the accusers that they saw the apparitions of the accused) and suggests that the trials were an example of the dangers of unchecked religious and political power. ((Hutchinson, Thomas, and William Frederick Poole. The Witchcraft Delusion of 1692, by Gov.Thomas Hutchinson. from an Unpublished Manuscript (an Early Draft of His History of Massachusetts) in the Massachusetts Archives. Privately Printed, 1870.From the Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project 1692-1693https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/home.html, accessed April 10, 2023))
Overall, the Witchcraft Delusion of 1692 is a valuable primary source that sheds light on the social and cultural context of the Salem witch trials. It provides a unique perspective of Massachusetts at the time and highlights the role of gender and power in the trials. The secondary sources further expand on the significance of the manuscript by offering modern perspectives on the events and historical context of witch hunting in general. The various viewpoints presented by these sources help to deepen our understanding of the Salem witch trials and the factors that contributed to this tragic episode in American history. Ultimately, the Witchcraft Delusion of 1692 serves as a reminder of the dangers of mass hysteria and the importance of critical thinking in the face of superstition and fear. It also highlights the ongoing struggle between religious and political power and individual freedoms, a theme that remains relevant in contemporary society.
