How were the Salem 'witches' actually executed?
No one executed at Salem was burned. Nineteen of the accused were hanged, most likely from a tree, and one man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death under stones for refusing to plead.
11 established, 1 disputed, 1 debunked, 1 unresolved. We do not pick an answer; the evidence places each claim. How we decide
49 citations from 16 independent sources - 33 echo the same voices and count once. Graded B1-D1.
Added 3 Jul 2026 - updated 29 Sept 2026
What the four states mean
- Establishedsupported, uncontested
- Disputedcredible sources disagree
- Debunkedrefuted by the evidence
- Unresolvedno settled answer
Established 11supported, uncontested
Giles Corey was pressed to death under heavy stones for refusing to enter a plea.▰▰▰▱▱ very likely4 points
Supports- Abt noon, at Salem, Giles Corey was pressed to death for standing muteSamuel Sewall, diary entry for 19 September 1692, as transcribed by the Massachusetts Historical Society primary
- According to the law at the time, those who did not plead could not be tried. To try to get the accused to plead, the legal remedy was “peine forte et dure,” translating to “strong and hard pain.” It became the name for the torture of pressing.Giles Corey, pressed to death - Massachusetts Historical Society, The Beehive analysis
- Corey was slowly pressed to death by placing heavy stones on his chest while he lay on the ground.Why Weren't Witches Burned at the Stake in Salem? - History of Massachusetts Blog summary
- In pressing, his tongue being prest out of his mouth, the sheriff with his cane forced it in again when he was dying.Robert Calef, More Wonders of the Invisible World (1700), reprint full text - Internet Archive primary
English statute law made harmful witchcraft punishable by death as a felony, and in England and its American colonies witches were hanged, not burned.▰▰▰▱▱ likely3 points
Supports- any Witchcraft, Incantment, Charme or Sorcery, whereby any person shall be Killed, Destroyed, Wasted, Consumed, Pined, or Lamed, in His or Her body, or any part therof; that then every such Offender, or Offenders, their Ayders, Abettors, and Counsellors, being of the said offences duly and lawfully Convicted and Attainted, shall suffer paines of death as a Felon or Felons, and shall lose the priviledge and benefit of Clergy and Sanctuary.An Act against Witchcraft (1604), transcript - The National Archives (UK) primary
- Witchcraft was a felony in both England and its American colonies, and therefore witches were hanged, not burned.Witchcraft: Eight Myths and Misconceptions - English Heritage analysis
- In England and her colonies, witchcraft was tried in criminal courts, like any other capital crime. And the punishment for capital crimes was death by hanging,Were any 'witches' burned at Salem? - Live Science analysis
On the European continent, witch cases tended to be tried in church courts as heresy, which was punished by burning, and the Holy Roman Empire's 1530 Carolina code specified death by burning for witches.▰▰▰▱▱ likely3 points
Supports- Meanwhile, on the European continent, witch cases tended to be tried by ecclesiastical courts [a court run by the church]. When people were accused of witchcraft before an ecclesiastical court, it was treated as heresy. The punishment for someone convicted of heresy was burning at the stake,Were any 'witches' burned at Salem? - Live Science analysis
- Another important reason for the active conviction of witches in the German states was the Holy Roman Empire's adoption of the Constitutio Criminalis Carolina in 1530, which not only instituted prosecution at the judge's initiative, thus putting the accused witches at the mercy of a magistrate who was at once judge, investigator, prosecutor, and defense counsel, but also provided for the secret interrogation of the accused, denied him or her counsel, required torture in order to extract a confession, and specified that witches be punished with death by burning.Witch Trials in Early Modern Europe and New England - UC Berkeley Law, Robbins Collection analysis
- People found guilty of witchcraft were commonly strangled and then burned at the stake or, in English territories, hanged.Early modern witch trials - Encyclopaedia Britannica (Wayback Machine capture, 10 Aug 2026) summary
The Salem condemned were most likely hanged from a tree, turned off a ladder so that they slowly strangled rather than having their necks broken.▰▰▰▱▱ likely3 points
Supports- They turned victims off a ladder, so they slowly strangled to death. They didn't break their necks and have 'lights out' like it happened in later hangings.TAMUC History Professor Busts Myths About The Salem Witch Trials (John Howard Smith) - East Texas A&M University analysis
- The victims were forced to climb a ladder that was propped up against the tree and then a noose was placed around their neck. The executioner then kicked or pushed the ladder out from under them and they were hanged.Why Weren't Witches Burned at the Stake in Salem? - History of Massachusetts Blog summary
- There was also no trace of a gallows structure, confirming that victims were most likely hanged from a tree, as was customary at the time.With UVA's Help, Salem Finally Discovers Where Its 'Witches' Were Executed - UVA Today analysis
No one executed in the 1692 Salem trials was burned at the stake; 19 of the accused were hanged.▰▰▰▱▱ likely4 points
Supports- At Salem no one was burned. Instead, they hanged them,Were any 'witches' burned at Salem? - Live Science analysis
- Burning at the stake was not used as a method of execution for convicted witches in Salem or anywhere in the American colonies or England,Were any 'witches' burned at Salem? - Live Science analysis
- During the 1692 trials in Salem, Massachusetts, accused witches were hanged, not burned at the stake.Were Accused Witches Burned at the Stake During Salem Witch Trials? - Snopes summary
- But in Salem, not one of the accused that eventually faced execution was burned at the stake. Instead, 19 of them were hanged.Were Accused Witches Burned at the Stake During Salem Witch Trials? - Snopes summary
English law allowed death by burning only for women who committed high treason.▰▰▰▱▱ likely2 points
Supports- The reason the Salem Witch Trials victims were not burned at the stake is because English law only allowed death by burning to be used against women who committed high treason.Why Weren't Witches Burned at the Stake in Salem? - History of Massachusetts Blog summary
- But in treasons of every kind the punishment of women is the same, and different from that of men. For, as the decency due to the sex forbids the exposing and publicly mangling their bodies, their sentence (which is to the full as terrible to sensation as the other) is, to be drawn, to the gallows, and there to be burnt aliveWilliam Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, as quoted by the History of Massachusetts Blog primary
Robert Calef, a Boston merchant who openly criticized the trials, published an account in 1700 describing George Burroughs speaking and praying on the ladder, then being cut down and dragged to a grave about two feet deep between the rocks.▰▰▰▱▱ likely4 points
Supports- Robert Calef was a Boston merchant who openly criticized the witchcraft trials in the years after 1692.Robert Calef Background - Salem Witch Museum (introduction to More Wonders of the Invisible World excerpt) analysis
- Robert Calef's book was completed four years after the witchcraft trials came to an end, and was published in 1700.Robert Calef Background - Salem Witch Museum (introduction to More Wonders of the Invisible World excerpt) analysis
- Mr. Burroughs was carried in a cart with the others, through the streets of Salem to execution. When he was upon the ladder, he made a speech for the clearing of his innocency, with such solemn and serious expressions, as were to the admiration of all present: his prayer (which he concluded by repeating the Lord's prayer) was so well worded, and uttered with such composedness, and such (at least seeming) fervency of spirit, as was very affecting, and drew tears from manyRobert Calef, More Wonders of the Invisible World (1700), reprint full text - Internet Archive primary
- When he was cut down, he was dragged by the halter to a hole, or grave, between the rocks, about two feet deepRobert Calef, More Wonders of the Invisible World (1700), reprint full text - Internet Archive primary
None of the accused who confessed to witchcraft at Salem were executed; the 19 who were hanged had refused to confess.▰▰▰▱▱ likely2 points
Supports- Yet, none of the accused witches who actually confessed to the crime were executed during the Salem Witch Trials while 19 people who refused to confess were hanged.Why Weren't Witches Burned at the Stake in Salem? - History of Massachusetts Blog summary
- Before long, accusations of witchcraft abounded and the jails filled with suspects who confessed to witchcraft, seeing it as a means to avoid hanging.Witch Trials in Early Modern Europe and New England - UC Berkeley Law, Robbins Collection analysis
In Scotland, convicted witches were strangled to death and their bodies burned, whereas England hanged its witches.▰▰▰▱▱ likely3 points
Supports- However, witches' bodies were burned in Scotland, though they were strangled to death first.Witchcraft: Eight Myths and Misconceptions - English Heritage analysis
- Witchcraft was a felony in both England and its American colonies, and therefore witches were hanged, not burned.Witchcraft: Eight Myths and Misconceptions - English Heritage analysis
- Even neighboring regions could display major differences: in terms of the conviction rate, Scotland's witch trials were considerably more severe than those in England, for instance.Early modern witch trials - Encyclopaedia Britannica (Wayback Machine capture, 10 Aug 2026) summary
Bridget Bishop's death warrant ordered that she be hanged by the neck until dead, and the sheriff's return reports that she was hanged.▰▰▱▱▱ likely2 points
Supports- You safely conduct the s'd Bridgett Bishop alias Olliver from their Maj'ties Gaol in Salem afores'd to the place of Execution and there cause her to be hanged by the neck untill she be de[ad]Death warrant of Bridget Bishop, 8 June 1692 - Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive (UVA), SWP No. 013 primary
- I have taken the body of the within named Brigett Bishop of their Majes'ts Goale in Salem and Safely Conveighd her to the place provided for her Execution and Caused the s'd Brigett to be hanged by the neck untill Shee was deadSheriff George Corwin's return on Bridget Bishop's death warrant - Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive (UVA), SWP No. 013 primary
Researchers in the Gallows Hill Project identified Proctor's Ledge as the site where 19 accused witches were executed, drawing on court documents, historical maps and a GIS viewshed analysis.▰▰▱▱▱ likely4 points
Supports- Researchers now know that Proctor's Ledge was one of the most conspicuous spots in Salem, Massachusetts more than 300 years ago: the site where 19 accused witches were executed during the notorious Salem Witch Trials.With UVA's Help, Salem Finally Discovers Where Its 'Witches' Were Executed - UVA Today analysis
- University of Virginia religious studies professor Benjamin Ray is one of five researchers leading the Gallows Hill Project, which announced its discovery last week to significant national attention.With UVA's Help, Salem Finally Discovers Where Its 'Witches' Were Executed - UVA Today analysis
- To identify the site, the researchers combed through maps, court documents and other primary sources, hoping to determine the location of “the house below the hill.”With UVA's Help, Salem Finally Discovers Where Its 'Witches' Were Executed - UVA Today analysis
- Using current topographical analysis, historical maps and aerial photos, Gist created a viewshed analysis of the topography surrounding Boston Street and Gallows Hill to determine which ledges on the side of the hill would have been visible from the houses on Boston Street.With UVA's Help, Salem Finally Discovers Where Its 'Witches' Were Executed - UVA Today analysis
Disputed 1credible sources disagree
Giles Corey's last words are reported as 'More weight', but a competing account has him cursing the sheriff and Salem, and the phrase appears in a ballad printed in the Salem Observer in 1850.▰▰▰▱▱ unlikely4 against6 points
Supports- His last words were “more weight.”Giles Corey, pressed to death - Massachusetts Historical Society, The Beehive analysis
- However, it is mostly agreed upon that “more weight” were his last words.Giles Corey, pressed to death - Massachusetts Historical Society, The Beehive analysis
Against- Some witnesses say that Giles Corey did not remain silent and had cursed the title of Sherriff: “Damn you, I curse you and Salem!”Giles Corey, pressed to death - Massachusetts Historical Society, The Beehive analysis
- "More weight!" now said this wretched man; "More weight!" again he cried;The Ballad of Giles Corey: It's Complicated - New England Folklore (with the ballad text and the 1870 Bulletin of the Essex Institute footnote quoted in comments) analysis
- This ballad was "handed in for preservation" to the _Salem Observer_, and appeared in the issue of April 13, 1850.The Ballad of Giles Corey: It's Complicated - New England Folklore (with the ballad text and the 1870 Bulletin of the Essex Institute footnote quoted in comments) analysis
- It was written by Fitch Poole, Esq., of Peabody.The Ballad of Giles Corey: It's Complicated - New England Folklore (with the ballad text and the 1870 Bulletin of the Essex Institute footnote quoted in comments) analysis
Debunked 1refuted by the evidence
The accused at Salem were burned at the stake.Refuted by
Not in English-speaking countries. Witchcraft was a felony in both England and its American colonies, and therefore witches were hanged, not burned.
refuted3 against5 pointsThe claim rested on- One of the most popular myths surrounding the stories of alleged witchcraft in colonial New England is that the accused were burned at the stake during the Salem witch trials.Were Accused Witches Burned at the Stake During Salem Witch Trials? - Snopes summary
- It is a common misconception that the people convicted of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials were burned at the stake.Why Weren't Witches Burned at the Stake in Salem? - History of Massachusetts Blog summary
Refuted by- Not in English-speaking countries. Witchcraft was a felony in both England and its American colonies, and therefore witches were hanged, not burned.Witchcraft: Eight Myths and Misconceptions - English Heritage analysis
- to the place of Execution and there cause her to be hanged by the neck untill she be de[ad]Death warrant of Bridget Bishop, 8 June 1692 - Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive (UVA), SWP No. 013 primary
- Accused witches in Salem were hanged, not burned, but the hangings were just as horrible.TAMUC History Professor Busts Myths About The Salem Witch Trials (John Howard Smith) - East Texas A&M University analysis
Unresolved 1no settled answer
Beyond the 19 hanged and one person tortured to death, more of the accused died in jail, and the count is given only approximately, as around four.▰▰▰▱▱ likelysummary-sourced4 points
Supports- A total of 19 people were hanged for witchcraft in Salem. One person was tortured to death and around four people died in jail while awaiting trial.Why Weren't Witches Burned at the Stake in Salem? - History of Massachusetts Blog summary
- Still more accused sorcerers died in jail while awaiting trial.Were Accused Witches Burned at the Stake During Salem Witch Trials? - Snopes summary
- May 10- Sarah Osborne dies in prison in Boston. She is the first causality of the Salem witch trials.Salem Witch Trials Chronology - Salem Witch Museum summary
- Lydia Dustin, a 79-year-old resident of Reading, dies in jail.Salem Witch Trials Chronology - Salem Witch Museum summary
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