Eunice Cole (c. 1590, England - October 1680,

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region *Hampton, Victoria Canada *Hampton, New Brunswick *Hamp ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, United States), maiden name unknown, was a woman from the coast of

. Better known as "Goody Cole", she is the only woman convicted of

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

in New Hampshire.

Family

Her husband was William Cole. There are no records of this union producing children, although since they came to the United States when they were already well past childbearing age, it is certainly possible that they had children in England. Both of them were

indentured servants Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an "indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensation or debt repayment, ...

Matthew Craddock Matthew Cradock (also spelled Craddock and Craddocke; died 27 May 1641) was a London merchant, politician, and the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Company. Founded in 1628, it was an organization of Puritan businessmen that organized a ...

, a wealthy

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

merchant. After their service with Craddock was over, the Coles were released from Craddock's service and came to New England with their passage furnished, for £10. In Boston they were granted of land in

Mount Wollaston Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 101,636, making ...

(now Quincy),

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

on February 20, 1637, though they left for

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

, before the end of the year. Both of the Coles were followers of Reverend

John Wheelwright John Wheelwright (c. 1592–1679) was a Puritan clergyman in England and America, noted for being banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the Antinomian Controversy, and for subsequently establishing the town of Exeter, New Hamps ...

, who believed in

antinomianism Antinomianism (Ancient Greek: ἀντί 'anti''"against" and νόμος 'nomos''"law") is any view which rejects laws or legalism and argues against moral, religious or social norms (Latin: mores), or is at least considered to do so. The term ha ...

. Very soon after, they moved to neighboring

Hampton, New Hampshire Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. On the Atlantic Ocean coast, Hampton is home to Hampton Beach, a summer tourist destination. The densely populated central part ...

, receiving a parcel of land. The house lot was situated slightly east of where the Baptist church stands today on Winnacunnet Road. The other was a good source of income, considering William Cole was a carpenter. William Cole died on May 26, 1662.

Witchcraft accusations and death

Cole was formally accused of witchcraft three times in her life, the first in Boston in 1656 when several townspeople testified against her. She was imprisoned until 1660, but was released until 1662 when she was returned to prison until sometime between 1668 and 1671. She was eventually acquitted, despite the "just ground of vehement suspicion" of her guilt. She was accused again in 1673, but acquitted, and once again in 1680, and although she was not indicted, she was still kept in prison. Upon her death in 1680, she was hastily buried in an unmarked grave in Hampton; its precise whereabouts are unknown, although it is believed to be near the site of today's Tuck Museum. Local legends suggest that a stake was driven into her body after her death "in order to exorcise the baleful influence she was supposed to have possessed," and a horseshoe hung on the stake, just to be on the safe side. Goody Cole was much maligned - Hampton historian Joseph Dow referred to her as "ill-natured and ugly, artful and aggravating, malicious and revengeful" - but certainly not a witch. Such behaviour is unsurprising given the accusations leveled against her and her treatment by those in her community.

Goody Cole in the 20th century

In anticipation of the 300th anniversary of the town of Hampton in 1938, people organized in 1937 to clear Cole's name, forming "The Society in Hampton Beach for the Apprehension of Those Falsely Accusing Eunice (Goody) Cole of Having Familiarity With the Devil" — usually shortened to "The Goody Cole Society" A doll in her image was made and sold locally. In 2003, a barbecue restaurant opened in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

with the name "Goody Cole's Smokehouse," relocating in 2006 to

Brentwood, New Hampshire Brentwood is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census, its population was 4,490. Brentwood has been the county seat of Rockingham County since 1997. History An Abenaki tribe called the Pennacook farmed, fish ...

. In 2013, the Progressive Rock project,

Telergy Telergy is a progressive metal/rock music project based in New Hampshire, United States, formed by singer and multi-instrumentalist Robert McClung in 2009. Telergy has had a number of well-known guest musicians, such as Dee Snider, Joe Hoekstra, Tr ...

(led by composer Robert McClung) released the album "The Legend of Goody Cole". Which tells the Goody Cole story using epic, classically inspired, progressive rock music. The album features a myriad of famous musicians, including Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider.

In literature

John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...

tells Cole's tale in his poem, ''Wreck at Rivermouth''.

Notes and references

Bibliography

*Demos, John Putnam. Chapter 10: "From Generation to Generation," pp. 313–339 in ''Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England, Oxford University Press, New York, 1982. *Hall, David D. Chapter 14: "Vehement Suspicion: Eunice Cole of Hampton (1656-1680)," pp. 213–229 in''Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth Century New England: A Documentary History 1638-1695''. 2nd edition. Northeastern University Press, Boston, 1999.

External links

Lane Memorial Library website on Goody Cole
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Eunice 1590s births 1680 deaths Colonial American women People of colonial New Hampshire