Philip (L'Anglois) English (1651 - 1736)

Born 30 Jun 1651 in Jersey

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Hollingsworth) English — married 1 Jul 1675 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Husband of Sarah (Haskett) English — married 20 Dec 1698 in Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 15 Mar 1736 at age 84 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Biography

Philip (L'Anglois) English was accused of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials

Philip (L'Anglois) English was a Huguenot emigrant (1540-1790).

Philip English, 1651-1736, from Jersey, Channel Island, was known to be the first millionaire in America.^[1]

Phillippe L'Anglois was a French Huguenot from the Isle of Jersey [son of Jean L'Anglois.] Little is known of his early life before Salem. The French called the port of St. Malo "La Cite Corsaire," but the English called it a "nest of wasps." St. Malo was a walled town rich with the profits of privateering in the 17th century. St Malo's economy was based on trade and fishing. Shallow reefs lined the bay leading to the island of granite on the Emerald coast of Brittany. The ancient citadel, the Cathedral of St. Vincent is easily seen from the sea. St. Vincent was founded by Welsh monks in the 12th century. Most French corsairs emerged as early as the 9th century. This was when they were fighting against the Vikings. Most French corsairs were descendants of fathers, uncles, and grandfather's that were also corsairs.^[2]

Philip English (born Philippe L'Anglois) emigrated to Salem in 1670 from the Isle of Jersey at age 19. Five years later, he married Mary Hollingsworth, the daughter of wealthy merchant William Hollingsworth and his wife, Eleanor. [Married 01 July 1675 in Salem] The couple established residence in a grand home with a view of the harbor. They raised two daughters in this beautifully proportioned home on Essex Street. Over the course of the next two decades, Philip English developed a highly profitable trading company and came to own a fleet of twenty-one ships, as well as fourteen lots and a wharf in Salem. English earned his money by trading fish for produce from the tropics and manufactured goods from Europe. Fishermen on ships owned by English sailed the North Atlantic coast from Maine to the Newfoundland Banks. English also took an active role in local affairs. In April 1692, he was elected a Salem Town selectman.^[3]

Troubles began just before midnight on Saturday, April 18, Sheriff George Corwin and his deputies, acting on an unknown accusation, arrived at the English home on Essex Street. Opening the curtains around Mary's bed, Corwin ordered her to accompany him. Not easily intimidated, Mary told Corwin to go away and arrest her in the morning. Corwin agreed to wait, ordering his deputies to guard the house during the night to prevent an escape. On Sunday morning, after Mary had eaten breakfast, she consented to be taken to a second-floor room at the Cat and Wheel tavern near the meetinghouse.^[4]

Philip's vocal criticism of his wife's arrest made himself an obvious target for a similar accusation. It came when Susannah Sheldon reported that English, at church service on Sunday, April 24, "stepped over his pew and pinched her," thus afflicting her "in a very sad manner." Later, Sheldon would tell authorities that English "brought his [the Devil's] book" and told her that if she didn't sign it "he would cut my throat." She added that a specter, telling her not to rest until she had told his tale, accused English of having "murdered him and drounded him in the sea." English warned her not to report the murder, Sheldon said. If she did so, he would "cut my legs off"and--for good measure--"kill the governor" and "ten folk in Boston" before six days passed. Sheldon accusations probably encouraged another witness, William Beale, to step forward with his own charges against English. Beale's dislike of English stemmed from being on the opposite side of a 1690 lawsuit over a claim to two tracts of land. Beale claimed that English had offered him a bribe in return for his favorable testimony in the case. Later, Beale said, when was discussing English's lawsuit with a friend, "my nose gushed out bleeding in a most extraordinary manner"--a nosebleed he attributed to English's witchcraft. Beale also speculated that the sudden deaths of two of his sons soon afterward might have been the evil work of English, in retaliation for his testimony against him. ^[5]

On April 30, 1692, a warrant issued for English's arrest. Philip, however, knew in advance of the charge against him and, after first hiding in a secret room, fled to Boston, where he hoped his influence could be used to free Mary. When it became apparent that his absence was hurting--rather than helping--his wife he returned to Salem to face charges of witchcraft. Magistrates examined Philip on May 31, then ordered him sent to join his wife in a jail in Boston (a privilege granted through the help of English's friends). The Boston jailer freed the couple each morning, on the promise that they would return at night to sleep in the jail.^[6]

According to stories handed down in the English family, a Boston minister named Joshua Moody or Mooley convinced Philip and Mary to flee Boston just before the scheduled start of their witchcraft trials. Mooley based his Sunday sermon on Matthew 10:23, "If they persecute you in one city, flee to another." Just to make sure they got the message, Mooley later visited the couple in jail that evening, telling them that he had made arrangement for "their conveyance out of the Colony." Somewhat reluctantly, Mary and Philip took the advice, leaving behind their two teenage daughters to stay with friends in Boston while they made way by carriage for New York, where they intended to wait out the madness in Salem.

Imprisonment & Escape

On the 6th of May, a warrant was procured at Boston, "To the marshal-general, or his lawful deputy," to apprehend Philip English wherever found within the jurisdiction, and convey him to the "custody of the marshal of Essex." Jacob Manning, a deputy-marshal, delivered him to the marshal of Essex on the 30th of May; and he was brought before the magistrates on the next day, and, after examination, committed to prison. He and his wife effected their escape from jail, and found refuge in New York until the proceedings were terminated, when they returned to Salem, and continued to reside here. She survived the shock given by the accusation, the danger to which she had been exposed, and the sufferings of imprisonment, but a short time. They occupied the highest social position. He was a merchant, conducting an extensive business, and had a large estate; owning fourteen buildings in the town, a wharf, and twenty-one sail of vessels. ^[7]

Escaping jail meant that English not only forfeited his £4,000 pound bond but it also made him subject to other forfeitures to cover his jail fees. As a result, Sheriff George Corwin and his men went to English’s house and warehouses and confiscated everything they could find, which totaled about £1,183. Corwin confiscated their furniture, plates, personal wine cellar, lumber, fish, grain, yard goods, shoes, six pigs and a cow from their yard while their neighbors scavenged the rest.^[8]

Seizure of the Body of Sheriff Corwin

Philip English gave in an account in detail of what articles were seized and carried away, at the time of his arrest, from four of his warehouses, his wharf, and shop-house, besides the expenses incurred in prison, and in escaping from it. It appears by this statement, that he and his wife were nine weeks in jail at Salem and Boston.

Philippe English and others held Sheriff George Corwin responsible for confiscation of their property while they were imprisoned for witchcraft. At his death, they were prepared to seize his body to recover damages from his estate.

Mr. English, representing that class who had suffered under his official hands in 1692, having a business demand upon him, in the shape of a suit for debt, stood ready to seize his body after it was prepared for interment, and prevented the funeral at the time. The body was temporarily deposited on the sheriff's own premises.

Some sources claim Sheriff Corwin was buried in the cellar of his house.^[9]

Court Judgement

Philip English is an interesting figure in the Salem witch trials because his prominence in the community raises questions about the pattern of accusations; his escape from jail and the gallows provides insight about the politics behind the trials; and his post-trials experience highlights how the Colony attempted to rectify the fiscal wrongs committed against the victims of the trials.^[10]

The following excerpts are sourced upon "Salem witchcraft : with an account of Salem village, and a history of opinions on witchcraft and kindred subjects", pp 478-482 by Upham, Charles Wentworth, 1802-1875.^[11]

"Your petitioners being dissatisfied and grieved that (besides what the condemned persons have suffered in their persons and estates) their names are exposed to infamy and reproach, while their trial and condemnation stands upon public record, we therefore humbly pray this honored Court that something may be publicly done to take off infamy from the names and memory of those who have suffered as aforesaid, that none of their surviving relations nor their posterity may suffer reproach on that account.”

On the 20th of July, a bill was ordered by the House of Representatives to be drawn up, forbidding in future such procedures, as in the witchcraft trials of 1692; declaring that “no spectre evidence may hereafter be accounted valid or sufficient to take away the life or good name of any person or persons within this province, and that the infamy and reproach cast on the names and posterity of said accused and condemned persons may in some measure be rolled away.” The council concurred with an additional clause, to acquit all condemned persons “ of the penalties to which they are liable upon the convictions and judgments in the courts, and estate them in their just credit and reputation, as if no such judgment had been had suffer reproach on that account.”

Philip English gave in an account in detail of what articles were seized and carried away, at the time of his arrest, from four of his warehouses, his wharf, and shop-house, besides the expenses incurred in prison, and in escaping from it. It appears by this statement, that he and his wife were nine weeks in jail at Salem and Boston".

Philip never forgave the Puritans. He again made himself unpopular by striving, unsuccessfully, permission to establish in Salem a congregation of the Episcopal Church, to which he had belonged in Jersey. But, apart from this controversy, he seems to have been respected. He was twice elected to public office. He died in 1736 at the age of 85. One of his descendants was Joseph Hodges Choate, the famous American Lawyer.^[12]

Philip English eventually returned to normal life in Salem and completed 50 years in his shipping career. In 1722 he wrote to one of his captains, John Touzel, perhaps the same who married one of his daughters:

"Sir, you being appointed Master of my sloop Sarah now riding in ye Harbor of Salem, and Ready to Saile, my Order is to you that you take ye first opportunity of wind and Weather to Saile and make ye best of yr way for Barbadoes or Leew'd Island, and there Enter and Clear yr vessel and Deliver yr Cargo according to Orders and Bill of Landing and Make Saile of my twelve Hogsh'd of fish to my best advantage, and make Returne in yr Vessel or any other for Salem in such Goods as you shall see best, and if you see Cause to take a freight to any port or hire her I lieve it with your Best Conduct, Managem't or Care for my best advantagbe. So please God to give you a prosperous voyage, I remain yr Friend and Owner, Philip English."^[13]

Cod Trade

He became one of the first Jerseymen to be involved in the cod trade, because he used William Hollingworth's money to build ships and in 1676 he returned to Jersey in his ketch Speedwell with a cargo of cod and returned with a shipload of Jersey boys and girls to be his 'apprentices' in America. The girls were tied to him for seven years and became domestic servants; the boys were indentured for four years and were hired out as seamen.

Ralph Delahaye Paine, in his "Ships and Sailors of Old Salem" describes Philip English as a commanding figure in the seafaring history of his time. "A native of the Isle of Jersey he came to Salem before 1670. He made voyages in his own vessels, commanded the ketch Speedwell in 1676, and ten years later had so swiftly advanced his fortunes that he built him a mansion house on Essex Street, a solid, square-sided structure with many projecting porches and with upper stories overhanging the street. It stood for a hundred and fifty years, long known as 'English's Great House'. In 1692 Philip English was perhaps the richest man of the New England Colonies, owning 21 vessels which traded with Bilboa, Barbados, St Christopher's, the Isle of Jersey and the ports of France. He owned a wharf and warehouses, and fourteen buildings in the town".

One of English's bills of lading, dated 1707, shows the kind of commerce in which he was engaged. it reads in part: "Shipped by the Grace of God, in good order and well conditioned, by Sam'll Wakefield, in and upon the Good sloop called the Mayflower whereof is master under God for this present voyage Jno Swasey, and now riding at anchor in the harbor of Salem, and by God's Grace bound for Virginia or Merriland. To say, 20 hogshats of Salt... In witness whereof the Master or Purser of the said Sloop has affirmed to Two Bills of Lading .... and so God send the Good Sloop to her desired port in Safety. Amen

Paine's account continues: "To Virginia the clumsy, little sloops and ketches of Philip English carried 'Molasses, Rum, Salt, Cider, Mackerel, Wooden Bowls, Platters, Pails, Kegs, Muscavado Sugar and Codfish and brought back to Salem, Wheat, Port, Tobacco, Furs, Hides, old Pewter, Old Iron, Brass, Copper, Indian Corn and English Goods'. The craft which crossed the Atlantic and made the West Indies in safety to pile up wealth for Philip English were no larger than those sloops and schooners which ply up and down the Hudson River today. Their masters made this way without sextant or 'Practical Navigator', and as an old writer has described in a somewhat exaggerated Amen: Their skippers kept their reckoning with chalk on a shingle, which they stowed away in the binnacle; and by way of observation they held up a hand to the sun. When they got him over four fingers they knew they were straight for Hole-in-the-Wall; three fingers gave them their course to the Double-headed Shop Key and two carried them down to Barbados."^[14]

Birth

Philippe Langlois, godson of Sir Philip de Carteret, was born in Trinity Parish, Baliwick of Jersey, in 1651.^{[15][16][17][18]}

Immigration

In 1670, he arrived in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, emigrating from the Isle of Jersey, Channel Islands, England. ^[19]

Marriage

On 1 Jul 1675, he married Mary Hollingsworth in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony. ^{[20] [21]}

Death

Philippe English was buried on 15 Mar 1736 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony. ^[22]

Children

1. Mary English, b. 21 Feb 1676 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony.^[23]
2. William English, b. 23 May 1679 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony. ^[24]
3. Philip English, b. 21 Apr 1684 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony.^[25]
4. Susana English, b. 11 Feb 1686 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony. ^[26]
5. Ebenezar English, b. 21 Apr 1694 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony.^[27]

Research Notes

• The following is a recap of the arrest and escape of Philip and Mary English, as written by the Rev William Bentley, the pastor of East Church in Salem from 1783 to 1819, in his diary for 21 May 1793, based on the substance of Philip's granddaughter Madam Susanna Hathorne account of her grandfather English:
  

"The Officers, High Sheriff, & Deputy with attendants, came at eleven at night. When the Servant came up, Mr. English imagined it was upon business, not having had the least notice of the suspicion (sic) respecting his wife. They were in bed together in the Western chamber of their new House, raised in 1690, & had a large family of servants. The Officers came in soon after the servant, who so alarmed Mr. English that with difficulty he found his cloathes, which he could not put on without help. The officers came into the chamber, following the servant, & opening the curtains, read the Mittimus [my note: a written order to send or receive prisoners]. She was then ordered to rise, but absolutely refused. Her husband continued walking the chamber all night, but the Officers contented themselves with a guard upon the House till morning. In the morning they required her to rise, but she refused to rise before her usual hour. After breakfast with her husband & children, & seeing all the servants whom were about twenty, she concluded to go with the Officers, & she was conducted to the Cat & Wheel, a public house east of the present Centre Meeting House, on the opposite side of the way. Six weeks she was confined the front chamber, in which she received the visits of her husband three times a day, & as the floor was single she kept a journal of the examinations held below, which she was constantly sent to Boston. After six weeks her Husband was accused & their friends obtained that they should be sent to Boston, till their Trial should come on. In Arnold's custody they had bail, & liberty of the town, only lodging in the Goal. The Rev. Moody & William of Boston visited them for the public worship on the day before they were to return to Salem for Trial. Their Text was, they that are (if they, you) persecuted in one city, let them flee to another. (Moody the Preacher & most active.) After meeting the ministers visited them at the Goal, & asked them they took notice of the discourses. Mr. English replied, he did not know that he has as he ought. The ministers them told them their danger, & urged them to escape, since so many had suffered. Mr. English replied, God will not permit them to touch me. Mrs. English said, Do you not think the sufferers innocent? He (Moody) said, yes. She then added, Why may we not suffer also? The ministers told them, if he would not carry his wife away, that they would. The Gentlemen of the town took care to provide at midnight a conveyance, encouraged by the Governour, Goaler, &c, & Mr. & Mrs. English with their eldest child, & Daughter, were conveyed away, & the Governour gave letters to Govr Fletcher of New York, who came out to receive them, accompanied by twenty private gentlemen & carried them to his House & they remained 12 months in the city. While here they heard of the wants of the poor in Salem, & sent a Vessel of Corn for their relief, a bushel for each poor child. Great advantages were proposed to detain them at New York, but the attachment of the Wife to Salem was not lost by all her sufferings & she urged a return. They were received with joy upon their return, & the Town held a Thanksgiving on the occasion & Noyes, the persecutor, dined with him on that day in his own house. ^[28]

It is worthy to take note that two governors were involved in protecting and housing Philip and Mary for about a year.

• The following seems offer an explanation of why certain citizens of Salem viewed Philip with distrust. Besides his international shipping business and a thriving trade in Jersey bond servants, English bought, sold, mortgaged, and repossessed many properties in the Salem area. Like other Jerseymen trained under different laws, he was quick to sue for debt, even when the debtor thought he had made arrangements to pay. Many locals distrusted his honesty and also wondered how far they could trust the French among them, even if they were Protestants. Seafaring Jerseymen considered themselves nonresidents when Salem tax collectors came around, even though their wives and children lived ashore. The town had no end of trouble getting the Jerseymen’s share from English when he was constable in charge of tax collection. English may have been gentry, but he was not popular in Salem. ^[29]
  English became a representative of all that Salem Villagers distrusted: he lived a lavish lifestyle, he was Anglican, he was an immigrant, he sympathized with other French Huguenot immigrants, and he was becoming politically active.^[30]
• By the end of the Salem witch trials, 200 people had been accused of witchcraft, 19 people had been hanged and 5 others had died in custody.^[31]
  Additionally, another man was pressed beneath heavy stones until he died.^[32]
• In 1674, merchant William Hollingworth (alternate spelling Hollingsworth) was off at sea and his wife Eleanor (alternate spellings Elinor and Elianor) was granted a license to operate an ordinary [a tavern] in her mortgaged house, which she called the Blue Anchor. Her operation was very independent; Eleanor brewed the beer she sold in her own brew house. When William was declared lost at sea in 1677, Eleanor Hollingworth was saddled with significant debts. However, when granted Power of Attorney for the estate, unusual for a woman in that era, Eleanor had William’s debts paid and his businesses running smoothly in short order. She paid off her mortgage by 1682 and owned the Blue Anchor outright. A strong and aggressive woman, Eleanor was herself accused of witchcraft in 1685. When she died at the age of 59 in 1689, Eleanor left no debts and a handsome inheritance for her daughter Mary.^[33]

Sources

1. ↑ "A Jerseyman of Salem, Massachusetts : the story of Philippe Langlois/Philip English",Journal Article, Backhurst, Marie-Louise. https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/1695724
2. ↑ https://www.geni.com/people/Philip-English-Escaped-Salem-Witch/6000000015614015955
3. ↑ "Find A Grave Memorial: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17898824/philip-english
4. ↑ Philip & Mary English (SEE: http://www.famous-trials.com/salem/2044-englishp-m)
5. ↑ Upham, Charles Wentworth, "Salem Witchcraft", pp 140-144 https://archive.org/details/salemwitchcraftw02upha_0/page/140/mode/2up
6. ↑ "Famous Trials" By Professor Douglas O. Linder https://famous-trials.com/salem/2044-englishp-m
7. ↑ “Salem Witchcraft : with an Account of Salem Village, and a History of Opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Subjects : Upham, Charles Wentworth, 1802-1875, Author : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, January 1, 1970. https://archive.org/details/salemwitchcraftw02upha_0/page/142/mode/1up.
8. ↑ "The Witchcraft Trial of Philip English" https://historyofmassachusetts.org/philip-english-salem/
9. ↑ Marilynne K. Roach, "The Corpse in the Cellar". https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Corwin-9
10. ↑ http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people/english.html
11. ↑ https://archive.org/details/salemwitchcraftw02upha_0/page/481/mode/1up
12. ↑ https://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php/A_Jerseyman_in_New_England
13. ↑ https://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php/Philip_English
14. ↑ Paine, Ralph Delahaye, "Ships and Sailors of Old Salem" https://archive.org/search?query=Ships+and+Sailors+of+Old+Salem&sin=TXT
15. ↑ Index to the Deponent Records of the County of Essex, Massachusetts. Columbia Point, MA, USA: Massachusetts Archives, 1988.
16. ↑ Index to the Deponent Records of the County of Essex, Massachusetts, Massachusetts Archives, Columbia Point, MA, USA.
17. ↑ “Deposition year 1678, page 27, at Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony”
18. ↑ The record of his baptism may be seen in the Church Register: "Philippe, fils de Jean L'Anglois, fut Baptize Le 30e Jour de Juin En l'an Mille six Cents Cinquante un, presente au Se Baptessme par Messire Philippe de Carteret, Chevalier, Seigneur de St Ouan, et Madame Sa Femme", https://www.geni.com/people/Jean-L-Anglois/6000000015614895032?through=6000000015614015955
19. ↑ Charles Washington Baird. History of the Huguenot emigration to America, v. 2. New York: Dodd, Mead, c1885.Ancestry.com
20. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images.
21. ↑ Phillip English and Mary Hollingworth, 1 Jul 1675; citing Marriage, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007011200.
22. ↑ Slaughter, John. Vital Records page image for Salem, MA. Accessed February 28, 2021. https://ma-vitalrecords.org/MA/Essex/Salem/Images/SalemV5_D231.shtml.
23. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", birth of Mary English, 21 Feb 1676, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, father Phillip English, mother Mary Hollingworth.
24. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", birth Wm. English, 23 May 1679, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, father Phillip English, mother Mary Hollingworth.
25. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", birth of Philip English, 4 Sep 1684, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, father Phillip English, mother Mary Hollingworth.
26. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", birth 11 Feb 1686, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, father Phillip English, mother Mary Hollingworth.
27. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", birth of Ebenezar English, 21 Apr 1694, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, father Phillip English, mother Mary Hollingworth.
28. ↑ "The Diary of William Bentley D.D.", Vol I, P.249 https://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php/Philip_English
    
    

    Previously, after Mr. English was carried to Boston, they [my note, the Sheriff & crew] seized upon his property, took seven vessels, a great quantity of wine from his Cellar, all his furniture, plate, & were six weeks conveying goods from his stores. Only a hogshead of malt escaped them which being covered accidentally with shavings, by the Carpenters, they were deceived as to its value. 200 sheep were taken from him, which were upon his rights in the Great Pasture."

29. ↑ Marilynne K. Roach, "The Salem Witch Trials - A Day By Chronicle of a Community Under Seige" https://archive.org/details/salemwitchtrials0000roac/page/n6/mode/1up?view=theater&q=philip+english
30. ↑ The following reference is very interesting, and the reader might want to read it in its entirety. http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people/english.html
31. ↑ "A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials - Smithsonian Magazine" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/
32. ↑ Heather Rockwood, "Giles Corey, pressed to death" https://www.masshist.org/beehiveblog/2021/09/giles-corey-pressed-to-death/#:~:text=Abt%20noon%2C%20at%20Salem%2C%20Giles,acquaintance%3A%20but%20all%20in%20vain.
33. ↑ "Blue Anchor Tavern, Site of" https://salemwitchmuseum.com/locations/blue-anchor-tavern-site-of

See also:

• The Salem Witchcraft Papers (Scholars' Lab, University of Virginia Library, 2018) SWP No. 049.
• www.familysearch.org profile L7GQ-XXB