Which convicted Salisbury woman fled Massachusetts until the witch hysteria ended?

Mary Bradbury was the Salisbury woman who fled Massachusetts after being convicted during the Salem witch trials.

Mary Bradbury of Salisbury was accused in May 1692 and charged with afflicting several people, including Mary Walcott, Mercy Lewis, and Ann Putnam Jr. The accusations included claims that she used witchcraft to cause illness and harm. Her case reflected the period’s reliance on spectral testimony and stories of supernatural attacks.

Bradbury was tried and convicted in absentia, meaning she was not physically present for the proceedings. She had fled Massachusetts to avoid execution, and her absence helped save her life. Although sentenced to hang, she was never executed; she returned after the witchcraft hysteria had subsided and lived until 1700.

Her survival is often contrasted with that of women such as Sarah Good and Rebecca Nurse, who were executed in July 1692. Bradbury’s case also demonstrates that conviction did not always lead to execution: wealth, family connections, escape, changing public opinion, and official intervention could all affect an accused person’s fate.

In 1710, Bradbury’s family petitioned for reversal of her conviction. Her case was part of the larger effort to repair the legal damage caused by the Salem prosecutions.