Today in Salem: The wealthy Philip English is curled up under a pile of dirty laundry, opening his mouth wide and trying to breathe quietly. He’s the richest man in Salem, with a house so big that he employs 20 servants. He’s not used to indignities like this.
Philip has been hiding in his friend’s house for a week, ever since a warrant was issued for his arrest. His wife is already in jail for witchcraft, a preposterous thought. But the farmers and laborers of the Village have never felt anything but jealousy for them, so when an impoverished girl accused them, the rumors raced through the Village like fire in dry grass.
“English!” the Sheriff is shouting, over and over again. “English!” Philip can hear his friend trailing the Sheriff from room to room, insisting that he leave now, at once, until finally the door shuts and Philip can breathe again
Is it any surprise that the rich Philip English has been accused? First it was the poor and disreputable. Then it was a beloved church member. Then a minister. Now it’s the wealthiest merchant in Salem. No one has been spared.
WHO was Philip English?
Philip English, age 41, was everything that most people disliked. He was French, having changed his last name from “L’Anglois” to “English.” He was also Anglican, a member of the very church that the Puritans wanted to reform. He was extremely wealthy, even ostentatious. And he was arrogant; quick to sue people over property disputes, refusing to accept even the smallest loss.
That a French, Anglican immigrant could become the wealthiest man in Salem – run by English Puritans – rankled more than a few. So it may not have been a surprise when one of the most impoverished girls accused the wealthy Philip and his wife of witchcraft.
Mary was arrested right away, but Philip managed to evade the authorities for several weeks. Once captured, though, he and Mary were sent to jail in Boston, where, due to their wealth, they were free to roam Boston daily as long as they promised to return at night. On the day before their trial, though, they escaped to New York, aided by the Governor himself.
After the Witchcraft Trials ended, Philip English returned to Salem to discover that the Sheriff had confiscated most of his belongings, with his neighbors pilfering more than a few. English sued the Sheriff for years to regain his property, but the Sheriff died before the dispute was settled. Ultimately, of the £1,200 of lost property, only £200 was given as recompense to Philip and his heirs.
A popular myth says that English wouldn’t give up his lawsuits, and when the Sheriff died, threatened to steal his corpse and hold it for ransom. Some say he did steal the body, while others say the Sheriff was buried in his own basement for years to avoid it. Neither of these stories holds up to scholarly scrutiny.
Mary died in childbirth, a year after the Trials ended. Philip outlived her by 43 years, dying at age 85.