The Shaming of Abigail Hobbs

Of all the children involved in Salem’s witchcraft accusations, Abigail Hobbs is perhaps most deserving of a chapter to herself in that she refuses to fit neatly into the binaries of afflicted and accused; because she was one of only six children brought to trial; and because she was the only child sentenced to death. Further, this 14-year-old girl is one of the most controversial and interesting figures of the trials, with her outrageous accusations as one of the afflicted girls and in her own confessions—corroborated by friends, neighbours, and her own family—to her dealings with the devil and the murder of several unnamed children. Finally, this chapter will explore how Abigail has been guilty in the narratives of Salem from the start.