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From: "Roxanne Koelpin" <>
Subject: Re: [Q-R] Excerpt Of History
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 14:44:34 -0500
References: <1ed.197efda0.2d665262@aol.com>


Oh I wonder if this Stiles is part of my Stiles/Styles line? I haven't been
too far back. I will definitely keep this in mind.



Roxanne
----- Original Message -----
From: <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 12:54 PM
Subject: [Q-R] Excerpt Of History


> " England passed a law making witchcraft a capital crime. England
witnessed
> more than seventy executions in one county in a single year under this
law. The
> law, not surprisingly, was exported to New England, in what is now the
United
> States. According to the 12th century church, it was a mortal sin to
believe
> that witches could fly, by the 15th century, it was a mortal sin to
believe
> that they could not.
>
> A Jurors Oath: " You do swear by the Ever living god that you will
> diligently inquire and faithfully present to this Court what so Ever you
know to be a
> Breach of any Established Law of Jurisdiction so far as may conduce to the
> glory of god and the good of the commonwealth as also what Original
offenses you
> shall Judge meet to be presented, as you expect help from god in Jesus
Christ"
>
> In the mid 1600's, Thomas Gilbert and his wife, Lydia, lived with Henry
> Stiles, an older man, in Windsor, Connecticut, Lydia Gilbert performed
many
> services for Mr. Stiles, such as mending his clothes, tending him when he
was sick,
> and the like. There is not the slightest trace of any animosity on the
part
> of any of the parties to this arrangement.
>
> The date was November 3, 1651. Henry Styles/Stiles was accidentally shot
by
> Thomas Allyn, a neighbor, when Thomas's musket discharged. Henry Styles
died
> as a result. Thomas Allyn was indicted for and found guilty of homicide by
> misadventure. The court ordered Thomas Allyn to pay a fine of L 20 for his
sinful
> neglect and careless carriages in the premises, and he was sentenced to be
> bound to his good behavior for a twelve month period and that he shall not
bear
> arms for the same term. Thomas Allyn's father paid L 10 and Thomas was
> remanded into his father's custody for the years probationary period.
>
> On November 28, 1654, three years later, a special session of the Court
> began, in which Lydia the wife of Thomas Gilbert, stood accused of
witchcraft. As
> was the procedure of the time, the Jury first heard the evidence to see if
it
> was sufficient for an indictment. After doing so, the Jury brought back: "
> Lydia Gilbert thou are here indicted by the name of Lydia Gilbert that not
> having the fear of god before the Eyes thou hast of late years or still
dust give
> Entertainment of Satan the great Enemy of god and mankind and by his help
hast
> killed the Body of Henry Styles besides other witchcraft's for which
according
> to the law of god and the Established Lawe of this commonwealth thou
> Deservest to Die".
>
> But indictments are quite different from convictions, so of course, the
> indictment lead to a further examination of the evidence. Curiously, six
of the
> jurors in Lydia's trial were residents of Windsor, and were aware that
Thomas
> Allyn had been convicted of killing Henry Stiles three years before. Yet,
in
> spite of this information, Lydia was indicted by the jury for the death of
> Henry Styles. Deviating from the customs of our times, these same jurors
then
> considered the evidence once again to determine if Lydia was guilty as
charged.
> After reviewing the evidence against her, the Jury brought in their
verdict:
>
> " The Verdict: " Ye party above mentioned is found guilty of
witchcraft
> by the Jury"
>
> Lydia was the fifth witch convicted in Connecticut, some time before the
> Salem Witch Trials began in 1692. According to family stories, handed down
> through the generations, Lydia was not executed, but rather escaped and
walked
> away. Yet no one really knows. Most witchcraft experts agree that she must
have
> suffered her fate and been hanged in Hartford, following the verdict.
However,
> there is no documented evidence of her death. Shortly after the trial, her
> husband, Thomas Gilbert, left the Windsor area for good, settling in
Nayaug. Some
> years later, Thomas Gilbert died at the age of 77. His estate
administrators
> noted, charges of funerals for him and wife. It is possible that Lydia was
not
> executed after all, but rather escaped with Thomas to Nayuag and died
about
> the same time as her husband, or that Thomas had married again."
>
>
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