The Wicoms also worked with another prominent Rowley family, the Nelsons, to act against Margaret Scott. Formal charges were filed only after the daughter of Captain Daniel Wicom became afflicted. It also appears that when Margaret Scott was formally accused, it occurred at the hands of Rowley’s most distinguished citizens. The refuser projected this aggression on the beggar and grew suspicious of her. Margaret, who was thus forced to beg, exposed herself to witchcraft suspicions because of what the historian Robin Briggs has termed the "refusal guilt syndrome." This phenomenon occurred when a beggar’s requests were refused, causing feelings of guilt and aggression on the refuser’s part. Her husband died in 1671, leaving only a small estate that had to support Margaret for years. Margaret had difficulty raising children, something widely believed to be common for witches.
Margaret Scott fits the stereotype of the classic witch identified and feared for years by her neighbors in Rowley, Massachusetts (a small town to the north of Salem). These two aspects, more than any supernatural forces, led to the demise of Margaret Scott. The information yielded by these documents shows that Margaret Scott was a victim of bad luck and even worse timing. With the discovery of depositions related to her trial, it is now possible to use the names, places, and events mentioned in the court records to finally discover Margaret Scott’s story. Until recently, the story of Margaret Scott, executed September 22, 1692, as part of the Salem witch trials, was a mystery. Her case showed the court relieving a community of a long-believed witch and distracted attention from other defendants who were convicted on much more questionable evidence. The proponents of the court saw the opportunity to use Margaret Scott to their advantage. Unlike many of the other accused before the court, Scott was faced with an equal amount of spectral and maleficium evidence. Margaret Scott simply could not avoid the key factor in her condemnation her profile as a "usual suspect". Her accusers' depositions describe many typical beliefs about witches in early New England, which built up over a prolonged period of time. Impoverished and isolated by her long widowhood, Scott's shady reputation made her an easy target for witchcraft suspicions.
#MARGARET SCOTT PLAYBOY SERIES#
Her downfall resulted from a series of misfortunes that she could not avoid. She was executed as a result of a suspicious reputation, the combination of spectral and maleficium evidence against her, the close relationship among her accusers, and the timing of her trial. Benjamin Scott, married 28 July 1642, recorded at Boston.She married Benjamin Scott (1611 - 1671), leaving a small estate insufficient to support her in a long widowhood. The date of her emigration to the Colonies is unknown. The daughter of Edward Stevenson (born circa 1592) and Margareta Dunn (born circa 1596), Margaret was born in 1616 in England. Margaret Stevenson Scott (1616 - 1692) was the only person to be accused of being a witch from Rowley during the Salem trials.