Giles Corey

Giles Corey (bapt.Tooltip baptized 16 August 1611 – 19 September 1692) was an English farmer, petty thief, and tried murderer who was accused of witchcraft along with his wife Martha Corey during the Salem witch trials. After being arrested, Corey refused to enter a guilty or not guilty plea. He was subjected to pressing in an effort to force him to plead—the only example of such a sanction in American history—and died after three days of this torture. Because Corey refused to enter a plea, his estate passed on to his sons instead of being seized by the local government.

This article is about the English farmer accused of witchcraft. For the band of the same name, see Giles Corey (band).
Not to be confused with Giles Coren.

Giles Corey
The pressing of Giles Corey
Born
Northampton, England
Baptized16 August 1611
Died19 September 1692(1692-09-19) (aged 81)
Salem, Province of Massachusetts Bay
Cause of deathPressed to death
OccupationFarmer
Criminal charges
  • Witchcraft (rehabilitated)
  • Murder (reduced to unreasonable force and fined)
Spouses
Margaret
​
(died 1664)​
    Mary Bright
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1664; died 1684)​
      Martha Rich
      ​
      (m. 1690)​
      Children5

      Corey is believed to have died in the field adjacent to the prison that had held him, in what later became the Howard Street Cemetery in Salem, which opened in 1801. His exact grave location in the cemetery is unmarked and unknown. There is a memorial plaque to him in the nearby Charter Street Cemetery.

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