From 1647-1663 eleven people were hanged as witches on the New England frontier, the Connecticut River Valley. The outbreak of witch hunting in New England was directly influenced by the English Civil War and the witchcraft trials begun in 1644 led by the witch hunter Matthew Hopkins in East Anglia, England. The authorities in New England were armed with a legal manual influenced by recent English demonological writings for identifying a witch and new techniques pioneered by Hopkins for examining witches. For a variety of reasons examined in this book the witch hysteria spread rapidly throughout New England and first erupted in the Connecticut River Valley. Earlier reports of these activities and trials were collected primarily by ministers and included information on demonic possession, bewitchment, counter magic, witch accusations, legal issues, and the clerical role in these trials.

Dr. Richard S. Ross, is Professor Emeritus and former College Librarian at Trinity College, Hartford Connecticut. He holds an MA from Northeastern University, an MLS from Simmons College and a PhD from Boston College. He has taught at Boston College, Northeastern University, the University of New Hampshire, and Trinity College. He has held administrative Librarian positions at Northeastern University, the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, the University of New Hampshire and Georgetown University.