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- 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.
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