Quakers in the World

In July 1683 Margaret Mattson was accused of witchcraft by neighbours in Pennsylvania. She and her husband were immigrants from Sweden living on their very successful plantation. As early immigrants they had their pick of the land and their choice was rich, fertile river land by the Delaware River. It is very possible that jealousy was behind the rumours that were spread following failures or minor disasters with crops or livestock on their English neighbour’s farms – rumours that these were caused by Margaret Mattson’s witchcraft. The rumours lead to her formal indictment and she was brought to trial before a Grand Jury of 21 persons, a Petit Jury of 10 and the founder of Pennsylvania [the Proprietor] William Penn and his Attorney General. Of these 33 persons, one was of Swedish origin. A Swedish councilman was appointed to act as interpreter if needed. It is not clear from evidence whether Margaret Mattson had a good understanding of English or not. Various people gave evidence that suggested she was a witch, including, possibly, her own daughter. However the case was not a long one and the jury quickly returned a sensible verdict that she was “Guilty of having the Common Fame of a Witch, but not Guilty in manner and Forme as Shee stands Endicted.” Tradition has it that William Penn asked her “Art thou a witch? Hast thou ridden through the air on a broomstick?” and that she replied “Yes”. [It is not clear whether she gave this answer because she did not understand the question or because she was angry and defiant about the whole thing.] William Penn went on to say that there was nothing in the laws of the Province that made riding a broomstick a crime and he dismissed her as “Not guilty”. His Attorney General pointed out that she had not been found totally innocent and William Penn fined her £100 and forbade her to “practise witchcraft” in future! She and her husband went back to life on their plantation and no-one else was ever tried for witchcraft in Pennsylvania.