12. You didn’t dress smartly enough: In some witch trials, an individual’s refusal to dress like everyone else was seen as something distinctly sinister
At the height of the 17th century’s witch hunts, even something as seemingly insignificant as the clothes you wore could mark you out as a witch – and lead to your eventual trial and execution. Suspicion of different dress was especially strong in the Puritan communities of North America. And, again, it was women who were expected to follow strict dress codes, and who would be judged the most harshly if they attempted to show any individual taste of sense of style. Bridget Bishop, one of the first people arrested during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 found this out the hard way.
Bridget was hauled before the court in June of that year, the first of the accused to face the grand jury on charges of witchcraft. The prosecution made a point of stressing that she wore black clothing and “odd costumes”. Both were against the Puritan dress code. What’s more, her coat was shown to be torn and weathered. This, along with her so-called “immoral lifestyle” (what exactly this meant is not clear) was regarded by the grand jury as enough to convict Bishop on all the charges brought against her. One week later, she was hanged.