Murder of Martha Clark

Alice Bishop was born in 1616 not much was known about her. There are a couple of theories about her beginnings. One is that she may have come over on the Mayflower. Her parents may have been Christopher Martin and Marie Prower. Those two did not survive long enough to see the settlement of Plymouth. They died in January of 1621 which would mean she was orphaned in a new land. Another theory is that she was an indentured servant brought over in 1632. However, it's never going to be positive where her start was.

Alice was married twice. Her first marriage was to George Clark in January of 1639. She would have two daughters with him, Abagail (1641) and Martha (1644). George would also die in 1644. On December 5th Alice would marry 24-year-old Richard Bishop. The two would have a daughter, Damaris (1645). They would live in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

On July 22, 1648, Richard was away from home. Family friend 23-year-old Rachel Ramsden would drop by their home to spend time with 32-year-old Alice. At the time 4-year-old Martha was sleeping in a bed in the loft. It was a place only accessible by a ladder. Alice did not seem any different.

Alice would ask Rachel to go get some buttermilk for her from a neighbor's house. Rachel would agree to do so. Alice would give her a kettle and Rachel would leave to go get some for her. When Rachel came back to the home she saw something very alarming.

There was a puddle of blood under the loft ladder. Rachel would describe Alice as sad and dumpish. She would ask her why there was blood. Alice would only point up the ladder. Rachel climbed up the ladder and saw a horrifying sight. There was blood everywhere and even the mattress was soaked in it. It was all Martha's as she had been killed.

Rachel would flee the home and run to her parents. She would tell them of Alice's deed. Her father would then find the colonial governor and they would gather 12 men to go to the Bishop's home. Alice was in hysterics when they arrived.

The men would ascend into the loft to find Martha's body with the murder weapon next to her. She was lying on her left side. There were numerous cuts in her throat and she was stabbed in the windpipe. She was gone and there was no way to help her. It was a brutal and violent murder.

When they asked Alice why she murdered her daughter she had no idea. She stated that she did not remember doing that she had no answer for them. That she was sorry for killing her daughter.

On October 4th the trial for the murder would begin. Bradford was in attendance along with all General Assistant and a jury of twelve colony men. Alice would be found guilty of the murder and would be set to hang.

She was the fifth person hanged in the Plymouth Colony and the first woman.

We will never know why Alice Bishop killed her daughter Martha, and why she did it in such a ferocious manner. It's never stated where the other children were, but why did she only kill Martha.

SOURCES:
Murderpedia

Alice Martin Bishop

Charlie of Aberystwyth Castle

  

Mosaic at the Castle about the discovery of the skeleton

Aberystwyth Castle was built between 1277 to 1289 in Aberystwyth, Wales. The castle that is now in ruins is the third built of it before it was destroyed in 1649 during the English Civil Wars. It was slighted by Oliver Cromwell making it into ruins. This was to prevent it from being a fortress again. The locals likely took advantage and pilfered the castle walls. 

Over 200 years later in 1988, an excavation was done at the castle. Surprisingly enough the body of a man. The soil in the area was acidic enough that typically destructive to organic matter. Because the castle was destroyed though it added lime to the soil helping keep the skeleton from being destroyed. It was hard to place when the man had died, but it was believed that he died during the Parliamentarian siege of Aberystwyth Castle. 

The skeleton was given the name Charlie and he can be found at the Ceredigion Museum

SOURCES:
Wikipedia
Geni
Crazy About Castles
Way Marking

Murder of Unnamed Woman by Busheage

In May of 1644, a Native American man named Busheage went into the home in Stamford, Connecticut. The home was a poor family in the area. At the time the husband was out of the home and the wife and their baby were home. Busheage would take a lathing hammer and severely beat her. When he thought she was dead he robbed the place of clothing and fled. The woman was not dead and was able to tell authorities that it was an Indian who attacked her. She would soon die after revealing this.

Several weeks later other Native American's caught the killer and turned him over to the English in New Haven. He was found guilty of the crime. He would be executed in August or September of 1644 by beheading. He would be tied to a chair and in no less than 8 chops were done.

SOURCES:
Legal Executions on New England
Persons Executed in Connecticut
Registry of Known American Indian Executions 

Interesting Deaths: Execution of George Spencer

A man named George Spencer was not the most attractive man. He had one fake eye and was called ugly and bald and would be accused of bestiality and homosexuality. This would lead him into not being able to keep a job for long. In 1641 he would be working for Henry Browning.

In the winter Henry would sell a pregnant sow to Jake Wakeman. In February the sow would give birth, but one of her little ones would come out deformed. The little piglet would be born with one eye and several other deformities. Because the piglet had these specific deformities George was accused of bestiality with the sow causing her to give birth to his offspring

Now today we know better.  Humans can have sex with animals, but it would never result in any children. Biologically it would be impossible, but in history this fact was unknown.

George would be tricked into making a confession. He was told that if he was to confess he would be given mercy. George believed that they mean that he would be given mercy by God. There was no evidence of George having sex with the sow, and this lead to the sow and him to be executed. George maintained he was innocent.

On April 8, 1642, George and the sow were brought to the Gallows in New Haven. George would watch as they killed the sow with a sword. Then they would hang George next.

SOURCES:
Legal Executions in New England
The Oak Daily

Murder of Nathaniel Sewell

12/13-year-old Nathaniel Sewell was sent over from England to Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1643. He was to be an apprentice to William Franklin. William Franklin was cruel to the young boy. He would beat, starve, and torture the young boy. He would be left outside wet during the winter and hanging him in the chimney.

When Nathaniel was dying William strapped him across a horse and would have him ride like that through five miles of winter weather. He would go in front of Magistrate saying the boy was a useless servant. It wouldn't state when, but Nathaniel would die in 1644.

He did not feel guilty about the boy's death and on the contrary, he felt enraged he was getting charged with it. His attitude towards the whole ordeal caused him to excommunicated from his church. He would go to trial in April of 1644. He would be convicted of wilful murder and sentenced to hang in June of 1644.


SOURCES;
Historic Ipswich 
The Daily News
Legal Execution in New England