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35-585: The aged and eccentric farmer Giles Corey , charged with wizardry during the Salem witch trials in 1692, refused to plead to his indictment , and as a result was subjected to the terrible death by peine fort et dure , i.e. by being crushed to death under heavy rocks. Judge Samuel Sewell in his diary records that the judges, who did not wish to inflict this barbaric penalty, asked Corey's friend Captain Gardner of Nantucket to plead with him to stand his trial in

70-416: A cluster, south latitude 2 degrees 15 minutes, longitude 152 degrees 5 minutes east. Also, a cluster of reefs and shoals, extending N.N.E. and S.S.W. between the latitudes of 1 degree 35 minutes and 2 degrees 15 minutes south, and longitude 153 degrees 45 minutes and 153 degrees 15 minutes east. John Weeks, second officer, saw an island in 2 degrees north, longitude 150 degrees east, one mile long, surrounded by

105-682: A coral reef six miles from shore. This island is low, and abounds in cocoa nuts. A 19th-century whaler, Joshua is often credited with the discovery of Gardner Island (Nikumaroro), in the Phoenix group in the Pacific Ocean . In the mid-1820s, Gardner commanded the whaleship Ganges , operating in the Pacific. He discovered an island in 1825, located at 4°20′S 174°22′W  /  4.333°S 174.367°W  / -4.333; -174.367 , and named it Gardner's Island. His discovery

140-628: A deposition by one of the people who accused Giles of witchcraft in Mercy Lewis v. Giles Corey : I saw the apparition of Giles Corey come and afflict me urging me to write in his book, and so he continued most dreadfully to hurt me by times beating me and almost breaking my back till the day of his examination being the 19th April [1692] and then also during the time of his examination he did afflict and torture me most grievously and also several times since urging me vehemently to write in his book and I verily believe in my heart that Giles Corey

175-503: A farmer. There are quite a few entries in the court documents for which he was charged and confessed, mainly petty theft. Charges ranged from sleeping on the watch (and once having his weapon stolen from him while doing so), collecting a canoe load of firewood while on watch, and stealing food, tobacco, knives, and several other small items. Despite these charges, Corey was a prosperous land-owning farmer in Salem and married three times. He

210-565: A minister that Martha had been reading strange books, which was discouraged in that society. Corey also appears in Robert Ward 's operatic treatment of the play, in which his role is assigned to a tenor. A movie of the same name was released in 1996, featuring Peter Vaughan as Corey. Actor Kevin Tighe portrayed Corey in the pilot episode of the WGN television series Salem , in which he

245-583: A plea, his estate passed on to his sons instead of being seized by the Massachusetts colonial government. 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, Massachusetts , 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. Giles Corey

280-429: A result of his refusal to plead, on 17 September, Corey was subjected to the procedure by Sheriff George Corwin , but he was steadfast in that refusal, nor did he cry out in pain as the rocks were placed on the boards. After two days, Corey was asked three times to enter a plea, but each time he replied, "More weight," and the sheriff complied. Occasionally, Corwin would even stand on the stones himself. Robert Calef , who

315-411: A stick after he was allegedly caught stealing apples from Corey's brother-in-law. Though Corey eventually sent him to receive medical attention ten days later, Goodale died shortly thereafter. The local coroner, as well as numerous witnesses and eyewitnesses, testified against Corey, including neighbor John Proctor , who testified that he heard Corey admit he had beaten Goodale. Since corporal punishment

350-484: Is a dreadful wizard for since he had been in prison he or his appearance has come and most grievously tormented me. Again, in this court, Corey refused to plead. According to the law at the time, a person who refused to plead could not be tried. To avoid people cheating justice, the legal remedy for refusing to plead was " peine forte et dure ". In this process, prisoners were stripped naked and heavy boards were laid on their bodies. Then rocks or boulders were placed on

385-748: Is believed to have married his first wife, Margaret, in England . Margaret was the mother of his eldest four children: Martha, Margaret, Deliverance, and Elizabeth. His second wife was Mary Bright; they were married on 11 April 1664, when Corey was 53 years old, and had a son named John. In 1676, Corey was brought to trial and charged with murder in Essex County, Massachusetts , for beating to death one of his indentured farm workers, Jacob Goodale (also spelled "Goodell" or "Goodall"), son of Robert and Catherine Goodale and brother to Isaac Goodale . According to witnesses, Corey had severely beaten Goodale with

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420-445: Is pressed to death in a more-or-less historically accurate manner. Corey was the namesake behind one of Dan Barrett 's musical projects. The band's music has been described as depressing. Ganges (1809 whaler) Ganges , was a whaleship from Nantucket, Massachusetts, launched in 1809 in Massachusetts, that operated in the Pacific Ocean from 1815 to 1853. It was probably the vessel reported to have found Gardner Island in

455-799: The Austral group which he named Maria , but has also been known as "Hull Island" and "Sands Island." In his 1828 report, JN Reynolds credited George with the discovery of various other islands: Captain George Washington Gardner discovered the following islands, &c., which are not laid down on any of the charts: An island, north latitude 30 degrees , east longitude 144 degrees ; An island, north latitude 39 degrees , east longitude 39 degrees ; An island, north latitude 30 degrees , east longitude 44 degrees 20 minutes; Rocks, north latitude 31 degrees , east longitude 155 degrees ; An island, north latitude 37 degrees , east longitude. On

490-623: The Phoenix group . Although Barzillai Folger, the master of the ship during its voyage of 1835–39, is sometimes credited with being the first to discover the right whales of the Northwest coast, the Frenchman Narcisse Chaudiere, in Gange , preceded Folger. Chaudiere cruised on this ground during the summer of 1835, while Folger didn't leave port until October 26 of the same year. Capt. Joshua Gardner , reportedly on board

525-595: The William Penn , but the ship was captured in 1813. Later, George made three whaling voyages on the Globe (1815–18; 1818–21; 1821–22), and two on the Maria (1822–25; 1825–28). In 1818 George discovered the "Offshore Ground" ( 5° to 10°S and 105° to 125°W ). Within two years more than fifty whaleships were cruising for sperm whales on this ground. During the first voyage on the Maria , George discovered an island in

560-586: The Polynesian Friendly Islands during three-day hurricane from January 10 to January 12, 1863. The ship was driven ashore and found empty in May 1863. All the passengers were believed to have perished, including Captain Edward W. Gardner and his wife, Phebe Hussey Gardner of Nantucket , Massachusetts. Born in 1778, George was given command of the whaleship Sukey in 1809. In 1811, he captained

595-572: The Salem Farms and an 1893 play, Giles Corey, Yeoman , by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman . Corey is a character in Arthur Miller 's play The Crucible (1953), in which he is portrayed as a hot-tempered but honorable man, giving evidence critical to the witch trials. His wife Martha was one of the 19 people hanged during the hysteria on Proctor's Ledge. In The Crucible , Giles feels guilty about his wife's accusation because he had told

630-523: The boards. This was the process of being pressed: ... remanded to the prison from whence he came and put into a low dark chamber, and there be laid on his back on the bare floor, naked, unless when decency forbids; that there be placed upon his body as great a weight as he could bear, and more, that he hath no sustenance save only on the first day, three morsels of the worst bread, and the second day three draughts of standing water, that should be alternately his daily diet till he died, or, till he answered. As

665-454: The coast of New Albion, an island, north latitude 33 degrees , west longitude 119 degrees 30 minutes. On the coast of New Albion, an island, north latitude 21 degrees 55 minutes, west longitude 155 degrees 10 minutes. Maria Island, not on the charts, abounds with fish and wood, but no water; is low and dangerous. A rock, in latitude 20 degrees south , longitude 167 degrees 45 minutes west, not on charts, nor any published list; dangerous shoals in

700-522: The court read, "After our father's death, the sheriff threatened to seize our father's estate, and for fear, that we complied with him and paid him eleven pounds six shillings in money." According to a local legend, the apparition of Corey appears and walks his graveyard each time a disaster is about to strike the city. Notably, he was said to have appeared the night before the Great Salem Fire of 1914 . The position of Sheriff of Essex County

735-556: The date of Monday, 19 September 1692: About noon at Salem, Giles Cory was pressed to death for standing mute; much pains was used with him two days, one after another, by the court and Captain Gardner of Nantucket who had been of his acquaintance, but all in vain. It was and remains unusual for people to refuse to plead and extremely rare to find reports of people who have been able to endure this painful form of death in silence. Since Corey refused to plead, he died in full possession of his estate, which would otherwise have been forfeited to

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770-578: The eastern edge, while captaining the Bellona in 1823. The island was "covered with wood, having a very green and rural appearance" and was probably, Reynolds concludes, Wake Island , placed on charts of the time by John Arrowsmith . Captain Edward W. Gardner was a commercial agent at Apia , Samoa , who had traveled from Sydney on the Martha and changed vessels at Fiji for the Anita , which sailed near

805-489: The government. It was passed on to his two sons-in-law in accordance with his will. Corey's wife Martha was hanged three days later on 22 September 1692. She had a son from a previous marriage named Thomas; he showed up as a petitioner for loss and damages resulting from his mother being executed illegally during the witch trials. He was awarded £50 on 29 June 1723. The gruesome and public nature of Corey's death may have caused residents of Salem to rethink their support for

840-420: The neighborhood. Palmyra Island is in 5 degrees 58 minutes north, and 162 degrees 30 minutes west longitude. There is a dangerous reef 30 miles north, extending E.N.E. and W.N.W., very narrow, and fifteen miles in length. George died in 1838. Gideon (May 30, 1759 - March 22, 1832) was a successful shipmaster and ship owner; he is reputedly the owner of the whaleship Ganges , which discovered Gardner Island. He

875-470: The ordinary way. Captain Gardner used his best endeavours for two days, but Sewell records that it was "all in vain." Jeremiah N. Reynolds ' 1828 report to the U.S. House of Representatives describes Captain Edward Gardner's discovery of a 25-mile-long (40 km) island situated at 19°15′N 166°32′E  /  19.250°N 166.533°E  / 19.250; 166.533 , with a reef at

910-535: The same charge on 18 April, along with Mary Warren , Abigail Hobbs , and Bridget Bishop . The following day, they were examined by the authorities, during which Hobbs accused Giles of being a wizard . Giles denied the accusations and refused to plead (guilty or not guilty), was imprisoned and arraigned at the September sitting of the court. The records of the Court of Oyer and Terminer on 9 September 1692 contain

945-435: The witch trials. Giles was absolved of the crime in 1712. Martha was not. Although Corey's refusal to plead meant that his estate was protected from seizure, it was reported that Sheriff Corwin nevertheless extorted his family by falsely claiming that he could still confiscate the property. In 1710, Corey's daughter Elizabeth and her husband John Moulton filed a lawsuit seeking damages from Corwin's estate. Her statement to

980-615: Was a witness along with other townsfolk, later said, "In the pressing, Giles Corey's tongue was pressed out of his mouth; the Sheriff, with his cane, forced it in again." There are several accounts of Corey's last words. The most commonly told one is that he repeated his request for "more weight," as this was how it was dramatized in The Crucible , but it may also have been "More rocks". Another telling notes it as, "Damn you. I curse you and Salem!" Samuel Sewall 's diary states, under

1015-412: Was admitted to the church at Salem Village, where Giles had lived. At the time of the witch trials, Corey was 80 years old and living with Martha in the southwest corner of Salem Village, in what is now Peabody . Martha Corey was arrested for witchcraft on 19 March 1692. Corey was so swept up by the trials that he initially believed the accusations against his wife until he himself was arrested based on

1050-415: Was also said to have suffered from the "curse of Giles Corey," as the holders of that office, since Corwin, had either died or resigned as a result of heart or blood ailments (Corwin died of a heart attack in 1696). The curse was said to have been broken when the sheriff's office was moved from Salem to Middleton in 1991. Corey is the subject of a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow play entitled Giles Corey of

1085-460: Was an English-born farmer who was accused of witchcraft along with his wife Martha Corey during the Salem witch trials in the Province of Massachusetts Bay . After being arrested, Corey refused to enter a guilty or not guilty plea. He was subjected to torture in the form of crushing in an effort to force him to plead , dying after three days of being crushed. Because Corey refused to enter

Gardner (whaling family) - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-759: Was born in Northampton , Northamptonshire . He was baptized in the Holy Sepulchre, Northampton on 16 August 1611. Giles was the son of Giles and Elizabeth Corey. His birth is recorded in the parish records. His name is quite often spelled "Corey," but the baptismal record is "Cory." It is not certain when he arrived in North America, but there is evidence he was living in Salem Town as early as 1640. He originally lived in Salem Town but later moved to nearby Salem Village (now Danvers ) to work as

1155-560: Was elected as a Democratic-Republican Party to the Eleventh Congress (March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1811). Reynolds also reported island discoveries by John Gardner, made while he was captaining the Atlantic a short time previously: The first island, in north latitude 8 degrees 48 minutes, longitude 144 degrees 35 minutes east. The second island, in north latitude 1 degree 7 minutes, longitude 165 degrees east. The third island,

1190-411: Was permitted against indentured servants, Corey was exempt from the charge of murder and instead was charged with using "unreasonable" force for which he was found guilty and fined. Corey's neighbor, John Proctor, also accused Corey of the arson of his home. Later, one of Proctor's sons confessed. Corey's second wife, Mary Bright, died in 1684. Corey later married his third wife, Martha Rich. Martha

1225-740: Was reported in the Nantucket Enquirer , December 1827. However, contemporary Joshua Coffin is sometimes credited with the discovery. During the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842, Charles Wilkes identified Gardner's Island from the reported position, and confirmed its existence. Modern positioning places Nikumaroro (also known as Kimins Island) at 4°40′S 174°31′W  /  4.667°S 174.517°W  / -4.667; -174.517 . Giles Corey Giles Corey ( bapt. Tooltip baptized 16 August 1611 – 19 September 1692)

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