Sir William Phips February 2, 1651 – February 18, 1695

Early Life Born the frontier settlement at Nequasset (present-day Woolwich, Maine) At age 6 his father (gunsmith) died His mom then married neighbor John White

Continued Shepherd until age 18 Never attended school but did learn to read and write Learned the ship carpentry trade In Cotton Mather’s biography of Phips he claimed that he was one of 26 children

Continued This number may be an exaggeration. His mother is known to have had six children by Phips, and eight by White, but there may have been more children that did not survive infancy

Career After a 4 year apprenticeship he set off on foot for Boston Met Roger Spencer (ship captain) Lead to Phips being a captain of a carried goods ship between New England and the West Indies

Continued At age 36 he discovered the treasure from 16 Spanish ships that were lost at sea near the Bahamas in the early 1600s Kept 16% of the treasure Result: Phips was Knighted by the King and appointed first governor of Massachusetts

Expedition Sir William Phips

May 14, 1962: Arrived in Boston and brought charter that ended the 1684 English law banning colonies from self government New charter: Legislature was to set up a judicial system in October. Continued

Involvement in the Salem Witch Hysteria May 27, 1692: Issued a commission for a Court of Oyer and Terminer (criminal jurisdiction) to hear witch trial evidence because he decided the matters were too serious to wait until October Accusations of witchcraft escalated, even Phips' own wife Lady Mary Phips, was named as a witch

Continued October of 1692: Phips ordered spectral evidence and testimony would no longer suffice to convict suspects in future trials 3 weeks later Phips prohibited further arrests of witches, released 49 of the 52 of the accused witches still in prison and dismissed the Court of Oyer and Terminer May of 1693: Phips excused the remaining suspected witches still in prison

Salem Witch Trials

Works Cited Linder, Douglas. “Sir William Phips.” Famous American Trials: Salem Witch Trials 1692. 4 Nov. 2011. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_BPHI.HT M Landry, Peter. “Sir William Phips.” Stuck in a Frame. 4 Nov. 2011. http://www.blupete.com/Hist/BiosNS/1600-00/Phips.htm "Sir William Phips." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 4 Nov. 2011 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.