Court of Oyer and Terminer

E962
colonial tribunal court of law special court

The Court of Oyer and Terminer was a special colonial Massachusetts tribunal notorious for conducting the Salem witch trials of 1692, during which it authorized numerous executions for alleged witchcraft.

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All labels observed (10)

Label Occurrences
Court of Oyer and Terminer canonical 4
Court of Oyer and Terminer (for Salem witch trials) 1
Court of Oyer and Terminer trials 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf colonial tribunal ⓘ
court of law ⓘ
special court ⓘ
appliedLaw English colonial law ⓘ
appointedBy Governor William Phips ⓘ
authorityDerivedFrom royal charter of Massachusetts Bay ⓘ
authorized executions for alleged witchcraft ⓘ
chiefJudge William Stoughton ⓘ
country Kingdom of England ⓘ
dissolved 1692 ⓘ
establishedBy Governor William Phips ⓘ
fieldOfWork criminal justice ⓘ
historicalPeriod Colonial America ⓘ
inception 1692 ⓘ
judge Bartholomew Gedney ⓘ
John Hathorne ⓘ
Jonathan Corwin ⓘ
Peter Sargeant ⓘ
Samuel Sewall ⓘ
Wait Winthrop ⓘ
jurisdiction Province of Massachusetts Bay ⓘ
languageOfWork English ⓘ
legacy symbol of judicial excess in witchcraft prosecutions ⓘ
legalForm special commission ⓘ
location Boston, Massachusetts ⓘ
Salem, Massachusetts ⓘ
mandate try cases of witchcraft in Essex County ⓘ
notableFor conducting the Salem witch trials ⓘ
notableOutcome mass executions for alleged witchcraft ⓘ
numberOfPeopleExecuted 19 by hanging ⓘ
numberOfPeoplePressedToDeath 1 ⓘ
operatingLanguage English ⓘ
partOf legal system of the Province of Massachusetts Bay ⓘ
presidingOfficer William Stoughton ⓘ
reasonForAbolition controversy over use of spectral evidence ⓘ
public disapproval of witchcraft convictions ⓘ
replacedBy Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ⓘ
surface form: Superior Court of Judicature of Massachusetts
significantEvent Salem witch trials ⓘ
subjectOf historical studies of the Salem witch trials ⓘ
legal analyses of spectral evidence ⓘ
timePeriod Salem witch trials ⓘ
surface form: 1692 Salem witchcraft panic
triedPerson Bridget Bishop ⓘ
George Burroughs ⓘ
Giles Corey ⓘ
John Proctor ⓘ
Martha Corey ⓘ
Rebecca Nurse ⓘ
Sarah Good ⓘ
usedEvidenceType spectral evidence ⓘ

Referenced by (13)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Salem witch trials → hasPart → Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
this entity surface form: Court of Oyer and Terminer trials
Salem witch trials → hasPart → Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
this entity surface form: Superior Court of Judicature trials
Salem witch trials → courtInvolved → Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
Salem witch trials → courtInvolved → Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
this entity surface form: Superior Court of Judicature
Governor William Phips later prohibited further arrests for witchcraft → precededBy → Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
this entity surface form: establishment of the Court of Oyer and Terminer
town of Salem (historical jurisdiction) → hasCourt → Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
this entity surface form: Court of Oyer and Terminer (for Salem witch trials)
Bridget Bishop → legalJurisdiction → Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
this entity surface form: Court of Oyer and Terminer, Massachusetts Bay Colony
Susannah Martin → convictedBy → Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
Mary Easty → convictedBy → Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
Mary Warren → pressuredBy → Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
this entity surface form: the Salem court
Martha Carrier → court → Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
this entity surface form: Court of Oyer and Terminer, Salem
Bridget Playfer → convictedIn → Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
New York Conspiracy of 1741 → legalProcess → Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
this entity surface form: special court of oyer and terminer