Alice Martin

Female 1616 - 1648  (32 years)


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  • Name Alice Martin 
    Birth 1616 
    Gender Female 
    Death 4 Oct 1648  Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • Alice Bishop-by Shirley Cravens, IBSSG
      Alice BISHOP Story with Information given me states:
      We declare that coming into the house of said Richard Bishop we saw at
      the foot of a ladder leading to the upper chamber, much blood and
      going up all of us into the chamber, we found a woman child of about
      four years of age lying in her shift upon her left cheek, with her
      throat cut with gashes crossways, the wind pipe cut and stuck into the
      throat downward and bloody knife lying by the side of the child. The
      said Alice Bishop hath confessed to the five of us at one time that
      she murdered the child with said knife. Rachell, the wife of Joseph
      Ramsden, aged about 23 years, being examined, said that coming to the
      house of Richard Bishop on an errand, the wife of Richard Bishop,
      Alice, requested her to go fetch her some buttermilk at Goodwife
      Winslows, and gave her a kettle for that purpose and she went and did
      it and before she went she saw the child lying in bed asleep to her
      best discerning and the woman was as well as she has known her to be.
      When she came back for Goodwife Winslows she found her sad and
      dumpish. She asked her what blood she saw at the ladders foot and she
      pointed into the chamber and bid her look, but she perceived that she
      had killed the child and being afraid, she refused and ran and told
      her father and mother. Moreover she said the reason she believed she
      had killed the child when she saw the blood she looked on the bed and
      the child was not there. At a court of Assistants held at New Plymouth
      the first of August, 1648 before M. Bradford, governor, Mr. Coliar,
      Captain Miles Standish and Mr. William Thomas, gent, assistants the
      said Alice being examined, confessed she did commit the aforesaid
      murder and is sorry for it. A list of jurors for inquest and the jury
      that found her guilty is listed . These found the Alice Bishop guilty
      of the said felonious murder of Martha Clarke. She had the sentence of
      death pronounced against her. To be taken from the place where she was
      to the place from whence she came, and thence to the place of
      execution, and there is be hanged by the neck until her body is death,
      which accordingly was executed. (See also following entry)
      -Alice Bishop-
      by Susan, IBSSG
      Her name is Alice Martin Clarke Bishop(my 10 or 11th great
      grandmother). She was executed in the Plymouth Colony in 1648 for the
      murder of her daughter, Martha Clark by her first marriage. She was
      the first woman hanged in the colonies. I feel there is more to this
      story than has been told and I am currently exploring it. Here is the
      excerpt from one of the Plymouth histories:
      In July 1648 a coroners jury reported that "coming into the house of
      the said Richard Bishope we saw at the foot of a ladder which leadeth
      into an upper chamber, much blood; and going up all of us into the
      chamber, we found a woman child of about four years of age lying in
      her shifte uppon her left chek with her throut cut with divers gashed
      cross ways the wind pipe cut and stuke into the throat downward, and a
      bloody knife lying by the side of the child, with which knife all of
      us judge and the said allis hath confessed to five of us at one time,
      that shee murdered the child with the said knife." Rachel Ramsden
      testified that when she went to Richard Bishops' house on an errand,
      "the wife of the said Richard Bishope requested her to go fetch her
      some buttermilk at goodwife winslows and gave her a ketle for that
      purpose and she went and did it and before she went she saw the child
      lying abed asleep. But when she came she found alice bishop sad and
      dumpish she asked her what blood was that she saw at the ladders foot
      she pointed unto the chamber and bid her look but she perseived she
      had killed her child and being afraid she refused and ran and told her
      father and mother. Moreover she saith the reason that moved her to
      think she had kelled her child was that when she saw the blood she
      looked on the bed and the child was not there. The child was alice
      martin clarke bishop's daughter martha clark by alice's first husband
      george clark. On 1 august 1648 alice bishop confessed she had murdered
      her daughter and said she was sorry for it. And on 4 october 1648 she
      was sentenced to be hanged, which accordingly was executed."
      Plymouth Colony its History and People 1620-1691
      Some other interesting evidence I found was that at some point Alice
      stated she "had no recollection" of the event but pleaded "no contest"
      to the murder. These statements are from the jury records. Again I
      feel strongly that there is something missing. Perhaps she did do it,
      but something in the evidence and in my gut tells me there's more than
      is being told.
    Person ID I16381  OurNorthernRoots | Andrew's Ancestor
    Last Modified 21 Jun 2020 

    Family Richard Bishop,   b. 5 Dec 1612   d. Aft 1673 (Age > 62 years) 
    Children 
    +1. Damaris Bishop,   b. 1646, Scituate, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 26 Feb 1682/1683, Piscataway, Middlesex Co., New Jersey, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 37 years)
    Family ID F6204  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

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