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Marked: The Witchcraft Persecution of Goodwife Unise Cole
“It must be so, it shall be so, do what you will.”
So muttered Goodwife Unise Cole to her neighbor Abraham Drake as he pondered his mysteriously deceased livestock. The deaths were blamed on her familiarity with the Devil, one of many similiar accusations lodged against her– she bewitched crops; shape-shifted into a dog, a cat, an eagle; had conversations with the Devil; enticed young children; and moved at supernatural speed. Worse, she was blamed for the deaths of a man as he lay helpless in his bed and a child who had been diabolically transformed into an ‘ape.’
Unise Cole’s childlessness, low social status, and tempestuous spirit marked her for persecution as a witch in the puritan town of Hampton, where she endured three decades of accusations, whippings, court trials, and imprisonment, all in an attempt to banish her from the town.
In her third non-fiction book about the people and events in the small seacoast town of Hampton, New Hampshire, Cheryl Lassiter shares her passion for detailed historical research to tell the definitive, true story of the woman known as The Witch of Hampton.
So muttered Goodwife Unise Cole to her neighbor Abraham Drake as he pondered his mysteriously deceased livestock. The deaths were blamed on her familiarity with the Devil, one of many similiar accusations lodged against her– she bewitched crops; shape-shifted into a dog, a cat, an eagle; had conversations with the Devil; enticed young children; and moved at supernatural speed. Worse, she was blamed for the deaths of a man as he lay helpless in his bed and a child who had been diabolically transformed into an ‘ape.’
Unise Cole’s childlessness, low social status, and tempestuous spirit marked her for persecution as a witch in the puritan town of Hampton, where she endured three decades of accusations, whippings, court trials, and imprisonment, all in an attempt to banish her from the town.
In her third non-fiction book about the people and events in the small seacoast town of Hampton, New Hampshire, Cheryl Lassiter shares her passion for detailed historical research to tell the definitive, true story of the woman known as The Witch of Hampton.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
2 people are currently reading
598 people want to read
About the author
Cheryl Lassiter
9 books34 followersWith broad historical interests, Cheryl writes on topics that collectively span the 17th through 21st centuries. A member of the Hampton Historical Society, she has produced museum exhibits and a documentary video, and has received awards from the Association of Historical Societies of New Hampshire and the New England Museum Association. A former columnist for the Hampton Union, her published columns can be found at lassitergang.com.
Her current project is a graphical novel about a teen boy and his magical guitar.
About her personal life she says, “My life is my hobby. When I’m not drawing, writing, reading, torturing house plants, or just vegetating, I can usually be found perambulating the 17th century, where (I’m pretty sure) I once lost a gold pocketwatch. You haven’t seen it, have you?”
History done write!
Her current project is a graphical novel about a teen boy and his magical guitar.
About her personal life she says, “My life is my hobby. When I’m not drawing, writing, reading, torturing house plants, or just vegetating, I can usually be found perambulating the 17th century, where (I’m pretty sure) I once lost a gold pocketwatch. You haven’t seen it, have you?”
History done write!
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 4, 2016
Marked
The Witchcraft Persecution of Goodwife Unise Cole
1856 - 1680
By: Cheryl Lassiter
Published By: Blue Pedal Press
Copy Courtesy of Goodreads Giveaway
Reviewed By: tk
A horrific tale of one woman accused of witchery in a time of Puritan superstition and fear of the unknown. The townspeople just couldn’t help themselves, they had to find a reason for a dead animal, or a child born with imperfection, or why the crops were cursed. Although it was never actually proven, Unise Cole “The Witch of Hampton” suffered imprisonment and heart wrenching loss. A haunting account of young woman who eventually dies of old age and alone. You will have to decide reader. Do you side with the people of Hampton, or a wrongly accused woman that never had a chance.
I truly think this is the most researched tale I have ever read. I loved the historical background, although my first impression was that it was going to be a dry read. I was so very wrong. All the accounts are of value in the telling of Unise Cole sad life. Cheryl Lassiter will amaze you, as she did me with situations and circumstance without opinion. You will decide for yourself whether or not Unise was responsible for any or all of the accusers charges. (At times, I really hoped she was the cause of their misfortune.)
An astonishing tale that will leave you wondering just what was Unise all about. Short of being able to talk to her, we may never know. Cheryl Lassiter will give you the background, historical significance, of all the hours of research, and leave you to decide on what you read and feel for this woman. The people of Hampton may have been wrong. I secretly hope Unise had a bit of magic up her sleeve.
5/5
The Witchcraft Persecution of Goodwife Unise Cole
1856 - 1680
By: Cheryl Lassiter
Published By: Blue Pedal Press
Copy Courtesy of Goodreads Giveaway
Reviewed By: tk
A horrific tale of one woman accused of witchery in a time of Puritan superstition and fear of the unknown. The townspeople just couldn’t help themselves, they had to find a reason for a dead animal, or a child born with imperfection, or why the crops were cursed. Although it was never actually proven, Unise Cole “The Witch of Hampton” suffered imprisonment and heart wrenching loss. A haunting account of young woman who eventually dies of old age and alone. You will have to decide reader. Do you side with the people of Hampton, or a wrongly accused woman that never had a chance.
I truly think this is the most researched tale I have ever read. I loved the historical background, although my first impression was that it was going to be a dry read. I was so very wrong. All the accounts are of value in the telling of Unise Cole sad life. Cheryl Lassiter will amaze you, as she did me with situations and circumstance without opinion. You will decide for yourself whether or not Unise was responsible for any or all of the accusers charges. (At times, I really hoped she was the cause of their misfortune.)
An astonishing tale that will leave you wondering just what was Unise all about. Short of being able to talk to her, we may never know. Cheryl Lassiter will give you the background, historical significance, of all the hours of research, and leave you to decide on what you read and feel for this woman. The people of Hampton may have been wrong. I secretly hope Unise had a bit of magic up her sleeve.
5/5
April 4, 2017
4.5 stars
This is an outstanding book, which the author describes as creative nonfiction. It is very readable and incorporates well-researched history, weaving in the usual information such as possible causes for the hysteria of the finger pointing of the era.
I found myself immersed into the life of Goody Cole, with that immersion taking an entirely different tack from other books on Early New England: I saw someone, Goody Cole, who was experiencing mental illness in an age when it was being “treated” in the only way the populace knew how. I felt sincere compassion for her: her fears, her lack of basic necessities (food, clothing, human contact) and I saw her struggle to cope in the only ways SHE knew how, from lashing out and manipulating to becoming reticent, trying to reach out to others or respond in ways that seemed only to set herself up (ex: taking the dog to church). Having direct ancestors in Portsmouth, Newburyport, Ipswich, and other towns in the Hampton area, I recognized common surnames. Although none cited are in my direct tree, I wondered if those who were had either come in contact with Unise or had heard tales of her, and if so, how they had responded. Quite likely, they acted in fear due to the ignorance of the period, which again provoked a sadness and compassion for her.
I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others.
This is an outstanding book, which the author describes as creative nonfiction. It is very readable and incorporates well-researched history, weaving in the usual information such as possible causes for the hysteria of the finger pointing of the era.
I found myself immersed into the life of Goody Cole, with that immersion taking an entirely different tack from other books on Early New England: I saw someone, Goody Cole, who was experiencing mental illness in an age when it was being “treated” in the only way the populace knew how. I felt sincere compassion for her: her fears, her lack of basic necessities (food, clothing, human contact) and I saw her struggle to cope in the only ways SHE knew how, from lashing out and manipulating to becoming reticent, trying to reach out to others or respond in ways that seemed only to set herself up (ex: taking the dog to church). Having direct ancestors in Portsmouth, Newburyport, Ipswich, and other towns in the Hampton area, I recognized common surnames. Although none cited are in my direct tree, I wondered if those who were had either come in contact with Unise or had heard tales of her, and if so, how they had responded. Quite likely, they acted in fear due to the ignorance of the period, which again provoked a sadness and compassion for her.
I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others.
June 11, 2016
I did like this book. It explains all the reasons, Unise was branded a witch. It described her home life and the ways in which she interacted with her neighbors. It made me thankful that I do not live among people who have those same ideals for surely I would be at risk of being branded a witch myself. The only thing that I did not like about it was that I found the relationships confusing. I understood the relationships that took place between the major players, but it seems like there were a lot of miscellaneous townfolk wandering through the pages and I had a hard time remembering how they fit into the story. In the end, I decided that did not really matter. I did get that her punishment seemed to occur in ever increasing dimensions of harshness eventually culminating in incarceration in Boston jail (several times) which was further than just down the road and caused hardship for the person destined to take her. It paints an interesting picture of life and local government during those times. For anyone interested in how it was determined if one was a witch at that time, this is a good book to read.
March 31, 2016
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, thank you, and rated it 4 stars because it's clear that a great deal of research and work went into it, and the story elicited empathy and other emotions, which from an author's point of view is desirable. However, this is a sad, tragic story with no relief, and it left me feeling somewhat depleted.
Included with Marked was a slim volume entitled A Page Out of History: A Hampton Woman in the Needletrades 1859-1869, which was an interesting 'slice of life' from 150 years ago - a peek at an ordinary, yet somewhat remarkable woman for her time, quietly independent and determined, who ran her own successful business amid the turmoil of the Civil War. Quite interesting. Cheryl Lassiter certainly brings history back to life, revealing the hardships and realities of other times.
Included with Marked was a slim volume entitled A Page Out of History: A Hampton Woman in the Needletrades 1859-1869, which was an interesting 'slice of life' from 150 years ago - a peek at an ordinary, yet somewhat remarkable woman for her time, quietly independent and determined, who ran her own successful business amid the turmoil of the Civil War. Quite interesting. Cheryl Lassiter certainly brings history back to life, revealing the hardships and realities of other times.
February 9, 2016
I really was impressed with this book about Unise Cole. The writing and the timeline was easy to follow. It makes me things about life back then and what may well have been mental illness and not witchcraft at all. The visualization of the times and places is vivid. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history of New England in the 17th century. I did win this book from Goodreads, the author and Tuck Museum. I'm looking forward to hopefully visiting the museum this summer. Thank you Cheryl for an amazing read.
January 25, 2016
***I won this books in a GoodReads Giveaway***
This was a nice little read. It was clearly very well researched and yet she wrote it in a way that was fascinating and flowed nicely. She was sympathetic to both Goody Cole and the Puritan society she lives. Actually, she was much more sympathetic to the Puritans than I would have been. Their society was pretty awful.
This was a nice little read. It was clearly very well researched and yet she wrote it in a way that was fascinating and flowed nicely. She was sympathetic to both Goody Cole and the Puritan society she lives. Actually, she was much more sympathetic to the Puritans than I would have been. Their society was pretty awful.
January 14, 2016
Fascinating read on the life and history surrounding Unise Cole. While a bit hardscrabble and not likable in her nature, this book does a terrific job telling her story from not only a historic perspective but one that we see today as well.
January 16, 2016
I won this book as a first reads. It was very technical so I had a hard time following. Overall, I enjoyed reading how these people would turn anything into cause for suspicion of witchcraft.
January 10, 2016
Totally engrossing and wonderfully written
February 3, 2016
Good read!
Read
December 8, 2019Historically well-researched. I think the book lacks just a bit in historical interpretation. Lassiter would have benefited from looking into the scholarship of In the Devil's Snare, The Devil in the Shape of a Woman, and the Devil in Massachusetts. All of which examine the intersection of King Philip's War and fear of native people with religious superstition, gender power dynamics at play and the nasty ol' motive of getting another person's land. A means by which many old puritan families benefited materially from the persecution of their neighbors.
Cheryl Lassiter focuses mainly on the facts of the story with little room for interpretation beyond the possibility that Goody Cole simply could not help but bring her neighbors scorn upon her and what Goody Cole became later in historic revisionism from the poems of Whittier to the committee for Hampton's 300th birthday during the Great Depression. It is a tidy accounting and very well-researched. I think there was more room for exposition and interpretation.
Cheryl Lassiter focuses mainly on the facts of the story with little room for interpretation beyond the possibility that Goody Cole simply could not help but bring her neighbors scorn upon her and what Goody Cole became later in historic revisionism from the poems of Whittier to the committee for Hampton's 300th birthday during the Great Depression. It is a tidy accounting and very well-researched. I think there was more room for exposition and interpretation.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews