The Indictment of John Carrington

The following is extracted from "The Town and City of Waterbury, Conn. Volume I" by Joseph Anderson, page 164.

John Carrington and his wife, Joane, of Wethersfield, in 1650 were tried before the court at Hartford for the crime of witchcraft. Our John Carrington was then a lad of about eight years. We are not able to say that he was the child of the above John and Joane Carrington, but there seems to be no reason to doubt that such was the fact. "At a Particular Court in Hartford on the 20th of February 1650, John Carrington and Joane Carrington of Wethersfield, were on trial for their lives." We find the following:

"John Carrington, thou art indited by the name of John Carrington of Wethersfield, carpenter, that not having the feare of God before thine eyes thou hast Interteined ffamiliarity with Sathan the great Enemye of God and mankind and by his helpe hast done works above the course of nature for wch both according to the Law of God and the Established Law of this Commonwealth thou deservest to dye.

The Jury findes this Inditem against John Carrington the 6th of March 1650/51".

Then follows the name of his wife Joane, and the same inditement in the same words, with the same finding by the same jury. On the jury we find men with whose names we are already familiar. Thomas Judd, William Lewis, Stephen Heart and Mr. Tailcoat, the father of our Major Talcott, are of the number. That the finding of this jury was followed by the execution of John and Joane Carrington, may be inferred from the following entry. I have not the date of it:

"There was presented to this Courte an inventory of John Carrington's estate which was ordered to be filed, but not recorded."

The inventory on file has never been found.

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