Nicholas Noyes
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Noyes was a colonial minister in Salem, Massachusetts
during the time of the Salem witch trials
. He was the second minister, called the "Teacher", to Rev. John Higginson. During the Salem witch trials, Noyes acted as the official minister of the trials.
Noyes spent time as the chaplain with troops in Connecticut during King Philip's War
in 1675-76.
Before the execution of Sarah Good
on July 19, 1692, Rev. Noyes asked her to confess. Her famous last words were, “You are a liar! I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take away my life God will give you blood to drink.” Ironically, twenty-five years later, Noyes died of a hemorrhage and literally did choke on his own blood.
On September 22, 1692, Rev. Nicholas Noyes officiated as clergyman at the final hangings of the those accused (Mary Parker
, et al) of witchcraft. It is reported that he turned toward the suspended bodies of the victims and said, “What a sad thing it is to see eight firebrands of hell hanging there.”
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
during the time of the Salem witch trials
Salem witch trials
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693...
. He was the second minister, called the "Teacher", to Rev. John Higginson. During the Salem witch trials, Noyes acted as the official minister of the trials.
Noyes spent time as the chaplain with troops in Connecticut during King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
in 1675-76.
Before the execution of Sarah Good
Sarah Good
Sarah Good Born in Salem Village , Massachusetts, was accused of witchcraft in 1692. It has been proved in multiple ways that Sarah Good was falsely accused of witchcraft. She was accused only because of economical and political biases from the families of the accusers...
on July 19, 1692, Rev. Noyes asked her to confess. Her famous last words were, “You are a liar! I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take away my life God will give you blood to drink.” Ironically, twenty-five years later, Noyes died of a hemorrhage and literally did choke on his own blood.
On September 22, 1692, Rev. Nicholas Noyes officiated as clergyman at the final hangings of the those accused (Mary Parker
Mary Parker
For other articles about people named Mary Parker, see Mary Parker Mary Parker of Andover, Mass., was executed September 22, 1692, with several others, for witchcraft in the Salem witch trials. She was 55 years old and a widow. Mary's husband, Nathan, died in 1685...
, et al) of witchcraft. It is reported that he turned toward the suspended bodies of the victims and said, “What a sad thing it is to see eight firebrands of hell hanging there.”