Philip and Mary English fled to New York during the Salem witch trials.
Philip English was a wealthy Salem merchant and shipowner, while Mary English was his wife. Both were accused in 1692: Mary was arrested on April 21, and Philip was arrested on April 30. Their prominence and wealth did not shield them from the accusations, which often grew out of local conflicts, suspicion, and testimony from the afflicted.
The couple was held in custody and faced the prospect of trial. Philip and Mary were moved to Boston, where they remained under relatively lenient supervision for several weeks. On the eve of their expected return to Salem for trial in August, they escaped and made their way to New York.
New York offered them a refuge beyond the immediate reach of the Massachusetts proceedings. They stayed there until the crisis subsided, then returned to Salem. Their escape is sometimes mixed up with the flight of John Alden Jr., another prominent accused man who also escaped custody, though the two cases involved different people and circumstances.
Philip English later sought compensation for property seized during the prosecutions, but the legal and financial consequences of the accusations continued long after the panic ended.