John Richards (colonial judge)
Encyclopedia
John Richards was appointed as a magistrate on the Court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692 by Massachusetts Governor William Phips
, and then again as a justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature, Court of Assize and general Goal Delivery in 1693, both of which courts heard the cases that have come to be known as the Salem witch trials
, even though the latter court sat in Charlestown
, Boston and Ipswich
, as well as Salem.
William Phips
Sir William Phips was a shipwright, ship's captain, treasure hunter, military leader, and the first royally-appointed governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay....
, and then again as a justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature, Court of Assize and general Goal Delivery in 1693, both of which courts heard the cases that have come to be known as the Salem witch trials
Salem witch trials
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693...
, even though the latter court sat in Charlestown
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
, Boston and Ipswich
Ipswich, Massachusetts
Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,987 at the 2000 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island...
, as well as Salem.