The Life of Giles Corey
The Crucible Project
Background info from the book The Crucible
Giles Corey: Giles Corey lived in Salem town on his family's farm. He is married to his wife Martha Corey hos is a convicted witch. He went with John Proctor and Francis Nurse to bring evidence to the court. Giles could not say who is source was so he was arrested for contempt of court. Instead of being hung like the witches of the time, Giles was crushed to death by boulders placed on his chest. When asked if he would reveal his source during the crushing he responded with "more weight"(Crucible).
Movie Picture
Giles in the movie version saying his famous line
Giles: A Hearty Old Man
Smiling during the movie while with a group of people
Giles and Reverand Hale
Giles(left) walking next to Reverand Hale
The Real Giles Corey
Outside of the book
Giles was a farmer in Salem town. His trial in the Salem witch trials never moved forward as he was killed while being tortured. He was standing mute and did not want to be hung like the rest of the witches and have his soul taken by the British crown.It was said that Corey laid a curse upon every sheriff in Salem after his death. It is also said that his ghost still haunts the area where he was killed by torture(historyofmassachusetts.org).
Timeline
Giles was born in North Hampton, England, on August 31, 1611. Evidence shows that he moved to Salem roughly before 1640. He became an established farmer for his whole life. Giles married his wife Martha sometime between 1684 and 1692. He was arrested on April 18, 1692 alone with three others. Giles did not plea guilty nor not guilty and was taken to be tortured on September 19 1692. On that day he was killed by being pressed to death which was a common form of torture(skepticism.org).
Where to find this info?
Cline, Austin. "81 Year Old Giles Corey Pressed to Death at Salem Witch Trials". Austin Cline. Web.
Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. "The Curse of Giles Corey". Rebecca Beatrice Brooks, 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.