Person Page 588

Abstract of Court Records, Reading, Middlesex, MA, Nov 6, 1663 - Writ: Matthew Johnson vs Goods of Peter Talfry of Redding, rec'd in hands of George Davis (???) for debt due by promise of Peter Talfrey upon the marriage of his daughter. Marked by Henry Evans, Malden Surety; Abstract of Court Records Sept 16, 1663 - Writ - M. Johnson against Goods of Talfrey in hands of George Davis; Abstract of Court Records, 1660, George Davis and Zachary Fitts selected as jurors i- summons issued to the wife of Jno Kendall and the wife of Jno Bateman as witnesses against James Kempson.

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George Davis.___ I, George Davis, beinge bound for Cape Feare, doe now dispose my outward estate as followeth, in case I die before I come againe or shall hear after make any other will; being in health, My whole estate, that I leave in New England, I do bestow vppon my wife and Children, and doe make my wife executrix, and my son, Benjamin, executor Joyntly. My estate to be divided into five parts, two parts I give to my wife and my son Benjamine equaly, the other three parts I give to my five daus to be divided equaly, and to be paid vnto them when they come to age, or when they may, as their mother shall Judg best, and their mothers part she has power to dispose it to her she dies to those or to all of my Children, soe it be to my Children, that are most Loving and dutifull unto her. My house and land I do dispose to my wife and my sone Benjamine, provided my daughters have their portions, though it be in other things. To my sone, Joseph, I give all that I have now in the shipp, and that we cary with us to Cape Feare, with the weavers loome; but in Case it does Miscary before it come ther, and he corn agen to new England, my executors out of the whole estate shall pay him ten pound farther, becaus my Daughters, som of them, are young, and to be brought vpp in the feare of God and well educated, is my desire, which I hope my wife will not be wanting in, therfor their portions shalbe responsable for theire bringinge upp and left to the discresion of my wife what to pay them when they come to age, or when she dies. I have chosen for one overseer of this my last will, my brother [in-law], William Clark, of hun, and doe you chuse another whome you think fit, and give them 40s apeece, and trust to their faithfullnes and care for my poor Chilldren.

Dec. 7, 1664. GE0RG DAVIS.

Sarah married Nicholas Rist after the death of her husband, George Davis. On May 26, 1692, Sarah was accused of witchcraft by Mary Marshall, Mary Wolcott, and Ann Putnam. Mary Marshall was her step-niece. On May 28th, an arrest warrant was issued for Sarah, and she was arrested on May 31, 1692. On October 19, 1692 her then husband, Nicholas Rist made a petition to the court for her release. In the petition, he indicates that she has been held at Boston "goal" since her arrest for witchcraft and that in all that time, nothing has appeared for which she deserved imprisonment or death, and that he has never had reason to accuse of her of any impiety or witchcraft, but to the contrary she lived with him as a good faithful dutiful wife and always had respect for the ordinances of God while her strength remained, and he is concerned for her health stating that "it is deplorable that in old age the poor decrepit woman should lie under confinement for so long in a "stinching goal" when her circumstances require that a nurse attend her." She died not long after her release.


From the notes of Donald Erlenkotter:

"Sarah (Clark) Davis Rist (or Rice), was accused, arrested, and imprisoned in the famous Salem witchcraft delusion of 1692 [Eat]. The following warrant for her arrest was issued on 28 May 1692 [Witch]:


Warrant v. Sarah Rice.

To the Constables in Reding.


You are in theire Majesties names hereby required to apprehend and bring before us, Sarah Rist the wife of Nicholas Rist of Reding on Tuesday next being the 31st day of this Instant moneth at the house of Lt. Nathan'l Ingersalls at Salem Village aboute ten of the Clock in the forenoon, who stand charged with having Committed sundry acts of witchcraft on ye Bodys of Mary Walcott and Abigail Williams & others to theire great hurte &c, in order to her Examination Relateing to ye premises abovesaid faile not. Dated Salem May 28th 1692.

P vs. J. Hathorne } Assists.

Jonathan Corwin}


In obediance to this warant I have brought the Body of Sarah Rist the wife of Nicholas Rist of Redding to the house of Leut. Nathanial Ingersons in Salem Viledg the 31 of this instant: May 1692:


Attest John Parker Constable fo Redding.

Abig ail Williams, age 11, along with the slave Tituba, lived at Salem Village (now Danvers) in the household of her uncle, Rev. Samuel Parris. The accuser, Mary Walcott, was 16 years old. Lt. Nathaniel Ingersoll was a deacon in the church at Salem Village and keeper of the town's ordinary. John Hathorne, ancestor of Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Jonathan Corwin were members of the General Court and magistrates at Salem Town who conducted hearings in the witchcraft cases [Devil].

Sarah was immediately dispatched from Salem to prison in Boston, according to the following order [Witch]:


To Mr. John Arnold, Keeper of the Prison in Boston, in the County of Suffolk.

Whereas Captain John Aldin (Alden) of Boston, Marriner, and Sarah Rice, Wife of Nicholas Rist of Reding, Husbandman, have been this day brought before us, Joh Hathorn and Jonathan Curwin, Esquires; being accused and suspected of perpetrating divers acts of Witchcraft, contrary to the form of the Statute, in that Case made and provided: These are therefore in Their Majesties, King William and Quen Marys Names, to Will and require you, to take into your Custody, the bodies of the said John Alden, and Sarah Rist, and them safely keep, until they shall thence be delivered by due course of Law; Given under our hands at Salem Village, the 31st of May, in the Fourth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord and Lady, William and Mary, now King and Quen over England, etc., Anno Dom. 1692.

John Hathorn, } Assistants.

Jonathan Curwin, }


Captain John Alden, Jr., was the son of John Alden of the Mayflower. He escaped after having been imprisoned for fifteen weeks, and then was returned and cleared by proclamation in the Superior Court of Boston on the last Tuesday in April 1693.


The final hanging of accused witches took place on 22 Sep 1692. After accusation against his wife, Gov. Phips forbade further commitments on the grounds of witchcraft. By 12 Oct 1692 petitions were being received for the release of those who had been accused but not tried [Devil]. Sarah's husband, Nicholas Rist (or Rice), submitted the following petition to the General Court for her release [Eat]:

The humble petition of of Nicholas Rist of Reading she weth, that whereas Sarah Rist, wife of the petitioner, was taken into custody, the first day of June last, and hath since lain in Boston Jail for witchcraft, though in all that time nothing has been made to appear, for which she deserved imprisonment or death. The petitioner has been a husband to the said woman above twenty years, in all which time, he had never reason to accuse her of any impietie or witchcraft; but the contrary, she lived with him as a good, faithful, dutiful wife, and always had respect to the ordinances of God, while her strength remained; and the petitioner on that consideration, is obliged in conscience and justice to use all lawful means for the support and preservation of her life; and it is deplorable, that in old age, the poor decrepid woman should lye under confinement in a stinking jail, when her circumstances rather require a Nurse to attend her. May it therefore please your Honors to take this matter into your present consideration, and direct some speedy method, whereby this ancient and decrepid person may not forever lye in such misery, wherein her life is made more afflictive to her than death. And the petitioner shall, as in duty bound, ever pray.

Nicholas Rice


Reading, Oct. 19, 1692

Soon after, Sarah was discharged from prison. Probably she was charged for the costs of her imprisonment, since this was the practice at the time even for those found to be innocent or or pardoned. She died at Reading on 3 May 1698. In her will, dated 20 Sep 1697 and proved in the court at Charlestown on 16 May 1698, Sarah Rist of Reading mentioned husband Nicholas Rist and referred to bequests given to her by former husband George Davis and son Benjamin Davis. She left five shillings to daughter Hannah Boutell [Clark; Middlesex County Probate Vol. 9, pp 398-399]."

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The will of Sarah Rist of Redding, written 20 Sept. 1697, probated 15 May 1698, touching the worldly estate that my former husband George Davis and my son Benjamin Davis gave to me by their last wills for to dispose of, give and devise the same as follows:

to grandson Joshua Davis all ye Homestead.... that is ye same that I now dwell in.. with all the lotts, divisions and dividents. . . .thereto belonging, Joshua to pay to my daughters the legacies hereafter mentioned:

to daughter Sarah Cole, to daughter Hannah Boutell, to son-in-law Timothy Wylye [mentioned as William Clarke's nephew and son of Thomas Clarke's neighbor], to daughter Mary Damon, to Susannah Richardson.

Executor: Joshua Davis, grandson.

Witnesses: Benjamin Burnap, Dorcas Burnap, Elizabeth Arnold. [Middlesex Co. Prob. 9:399.]

This last witness was the orphaned granddaughter of Thomas Clarke of Reading. Elizabeth Arnold was born at Reading 17 June 1079, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Clarke) Arnold; she married in Woburn, 22 Dec. 1699, James Richardson. At the time she signed this will both her parents and both her Clarke grandparents were dead.

Was she then living with her next of kin, her grandfather's sister Sarah Rist?

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TGM does not indicate that William Clark had any children, so this parentage line is questionable.

WILLIAM (-Lewes 24 Jun 1088, bur Lewes Priory). "Rodulfus et Willelmus filii eorum [Rodulfo & Emma]" are named in the charter of "Hugo de Flamenvilla" dated 1060, which also names their parents [1151]. "Rodulfo et Willelmo filius suis [Rodulfo]" sold land at Matevilla, Flamenvilla, Amundi Villa and Anglicevilla, all in pagi Calentensis, to Sainte-Trinité jointly with their father, dated 1074 [1152]. This 1074 charter does not specify that the two sons were children of Raoul's wife Emma. He was "consanguineus" of Roger de Mortemer, whose castle was confiscated by Guillaume II Duke of Normandy and awarded to William [1153]. In [1054], he acquired land at Bellencombre, whose castle became the headquarters of the Warenne family in Normandy. He took part in the invasion of England in 1066 and was rewarded with land in 13 counties [1154]. Orderic Vitalis says the king "gave Surrey" William de Warenne in the chronicler's description of post-conquest grants made by King William, without specifying that he was created earl [1155]. He supported King William II against the rebels led by Odo Bishop of Bayeux and Robert Comte de Mortain in early 1088 and was rewarded by being created Earl of Surrey in [late Apr] 1088 [1156], although he and his immediate successors usually styled themselves "Earl de Warenne". He was mortally wounded at the siege of Pevensey [1157].