Although past researchers have not been positive about the name of Thomas1 Gilbert's wife, some thought that he might have spent some time in Windsor, Conn., and that this wife was the Lydia Gilbert condemned for witchcraft in 1654 at Windsor. The case both for and against this identification is made in The Gilbert Family. As I shall show below, it was Thomas Gilbert Jr., not Sr., who lived at Windsor. And from the Yardley parish register, we now know that Thomas1 Gilbert's wife was Elizabeth Bennett; if she was his unnamed wife who died at about the same time he did, he could not have married Lydia. Who then was Lydia Gilbert?

     Recent research indicates that the immigrant's eldest son, Thomas Gilbert Jr., did not accompany the rest of the family to New England about 1640. Rather, it appears that he married first on 17 Sept. 1639 in All Saints parish, West Bromwich, co. Stafford, England, to Mary James (FHL film #873,647). West Bromwich is some eight miles from Yardley. Following their marriage, they had a daughter, Mary, baptized at Yardley in 1641. Shortly before 24 Jan. 1644/5, Thomas Gilbert Jr. immigrated to New England, for on that date, he bought a five acre houselot in Windsor, Conn., from Francis Stiles (Gilbert Fam. p. 14). The Windsor man has been identified as Thomas Gilbert Sr., but since Thomas Sr. was still living in Braintree, Mass., as late as May 1646, he could not have been the Windsor resident.

     Windsor records show that sometime prior to 1652, Thomas Gilbert [Jr.] conveyed his houselot in Windsor to John Drake Sr. and, in turn, acquired an 113/4 acre houselot from Josiah Hull (Gilbert Fam. p. 14). Afterwards, he sold this second Windsor houselot to Thomas Bissell and in 1655 left Windsor for Springfield, Mass. (Gilbert Fam. pp. 14, 50-52). While still "of Windsor," he entered into a marriage contract on 23 May 1655 with Katherine (Chapin) Bliss, the widow of Nathaniel Bliss of Springfield (Joseph H. Smith, ed., Colonial Justice in Western Massachusetts (1639-1702): The Pynchon Court Record [Cambridge, Mass., 1961], hereafter Pynchon Court Rec., p. 233). He thereafter lived in Springfield where he died in 1662 (Gilbert Fam. pp. 50-52).

     It is apparent that Thomas Gilbert Jr. was widowed before 23 May 1655, when he signed the marriage contract with widow Bliss. Lydia Gilbert of Windsor was condemned to death for witchcraft at a court session which began on 28 Nov. 1654 (Records of the Particular Court of Connecticut, 1639- [Hartford 1928] p. 131):

     [Indictment] Lydea GiIburt thou art heere indited by that name of Lydea Gilburt that not hauing the feare of god before thy Eyes thou hast of late years or still dust give Entertainement to Bather [sic] the greate Enemy of god and mankinde and by his helpe hast killed the Body of Henry Styles besides other witchcrafts for which according to the law of god and the Estableshed law of this Comon wealth thou deservest to Dye.

     [Verdict] ye Party above mentioned is found guilty of witchcraft by ye Jury.

     The court record does not identify Lydia Gilbert, but she almost certainly was Thomas Gilbert Jr.'s wife. We can be reasonably sure of this, for Lydia Gilbert was accused of using witchcraft to kill Henry Stiles of Windsor, who had been Thomas Gilbert Jr.'s former employer (Gilbert Fam. pp. 14-19). If this conclusion is correct, Thomas Gilbert Jr. had at least three wives: Mary James, whom he married in 1639 in England; Lydia _____, who was executed for witchcraft in 1654; and Katherine (Chapin) Bliss of Springfield, Mass., whom he married in 1655.

     In addition to Thomas Gilbert Jr.'s known issue by his marriage to widow Bliss, he had surviving children by an earlier marriage who have never been identified, for in his will, dated 3 May 1662 and probated 20 Sept. 1662, be specifically left a sum of money to "my sons and daughters which are in the first family" (Gilbert Fam. p. 51). My own efforts to identify them have not gone beyond finding that Clarence Almon Torrey lists no stray Gilberts who married prior to 1700 in the Connecticut River Valley (New England Marriages Prior to 1700 [Baltimore 1985]).

        Note: Jonathan "Gilburt" was bound over to the Hampshire Co., Mass., court on 28 March 1676, "for that he being one Yea a Cheife Actor in that Riotious Assembly at Hadley being then Present with them and haveing his Cudgell, Sideing with them in their Publique affronteing of Authority" (Pynchon Court Rec. p. 285). This Jonathan Gilbert was probably Jonathan3 (jonathan2, Thomas1) of Hartford and Middletown, who, about 1674, had admitted to "youthful vanities" (Gilbert Fam. p. 72).

1 RICHARD A GILBERT was born say 1550. He married at Yardley, co. Worcester, England, on 25 June 1575 MARGERY MORKEN, whose parentage is unknown. There are no other Morken entries in the Yardley parish registers, none in the Worcester probate index and none in the 1603 subsidy rolls for northern Worcestershire (John Amphlett, Lay Subsidy Roll A.D. 1603 for the County of Worcester [Oxford 1901]). Further search for Margery should center on nearby parishes across the border in Warwickshire or Staffordshire. Following their marriage, Richard and Margery (Morken) Gilbert lived in Yardley, where a Richard Gilbert was buried on 8 April 1626. There is no burial in Yardley for Margery under the Gilbert surname, nor have probate records in the Consistory Court of Worcester or the Prerogative Court of Canterbury been found for either of them.

Children (GILBERT) of Richard A and Margery (Morken), bp. Yardley, co. Worcester:

2 THOMAS1 GILBERT was baptized in Yardley, co. Worcester, on 25 April 1589. He died in Wethersfield, Conn., before 5 Sept. 1659, when his inventory was taken. He married in Yardley on 29 Aug. 1610 ELIZABETH BENNETT, whose parentage is unknown. Her baptism was not recorded at Yardley, so presumably she came from a nearby parish. She may have been related to Edmond "Benettes" who married in 1552 Alice Pretty in the adjacent parish of King's Norton, co. Worcester. Elizabeth (Bennett) Gilbert may be Thomas Gilbert's unnamed wife who died in Wethersfield, Conn., at about the same time that he did.

Children (GILBERT) of Thomas1 and Elizabeth (Bennett) (English recs. above; Gilbert Fam. pp. 9-71, and sources as cited).

More on Lydia and Stiles

This source of information provides the generally accepted idea of Lydia being the wife of Thomas the immigrant or the elder. Thomas Gilbert was in Braintree, MA by 1640 with a family of seven. He bought a house and lot in Windsor, CT. from Francis Stiles on Jan. 24, 1644; later sold it to John Drake, then purchased the home of Thomas Gunn. By 1658 he had sold this to Thomas Bissell and removed to Wethersfield, CT. He is probably the Gilbert aged 77 who was treated by Dr. Winthrop in 1659. (Question here is: which Thomas Gilbert bought the home of Stiles in 1644.)

On March 24, 1653/53, Lydia Gilbert was indicted for witchcraft for causing the death of Henry Stiles, who boarded with the Gilberts at Windsor on Oct. 1651, by accidental discharge of a gun in the hands of Thomas Allyn. She was convicted and one must believe executed. According to Jacobus, "It must be believed that Lydia was the wife of Thomas Gilbert." This has been disputed because of the probate records mention that the funeral expenses of Thomas' wife were to be paid out of his estate, which might imply that his wife died not long before him in 1659. He could have married again between 1654 and 1659.

But, Stiles a historian of Windsor and Wethersfield, a descendant of the Stiles who was killed, takes a different view in his History of Windsor vol. I, pp.448-451. He claims the verdict was absurd. The facts were that the militiamen were outto do honor to a public offical who was about to go away on a long trip. Thomas Allyn, one of the militia in the excitement accidently discharged his gun and killed Stiles. He continues to say there seems to have been no evidence that Lydia inspired him to do this, although it is said that her husband worked the farm of Stiles, and there had been some disputes between them. There seems to be no record of Lydia's execution, although there is no record that she was pardoned or reprieved. There is no record of Thomas Gilbert marrying a second time. One can only say she may have been his wife, but probably his sister. She was probably executed.

The conclusions drawn by Jacobus and Stiles can easily be disputed today. Take Thomas Gilbert born in England, we now know when he was born and his parents as well as siblings. We know he came to America with his wife Elizabeth whom he married in England, several of his children. We know that his son Thomas married in England then came to America following his father. We do not know is his first wife died there or here, we do know he had another wife that of Katherine Chapin Bliss. Did he have a wife between, and could it be Lydia, probably. Since he married Catherine in 1655 shortly after the hanging of Lydia the probabilty of her being his wife is very real. As for Lydia being a sister of the elder Thomas it is not backed by the Yardly Parish Birth records. Since the records do not show the elder Thomas marrying a second time, which would mean Elizabeth was his only wife and died shortly before him, that leaves one conclusion to draw based on the information available Lydia Gilbert was the wife of Thomas Gilbert 1611/12, the son of Thomas Gilbert 1589.

Entertaining Satan

The place is the fledgling community of Windsor, Connecticut: the time, an autumn day in the year 1651. A group of local militiamen has assembled for training exercises. They drill in their ususal manner through the morning, then pause for rest and refreshment. Several of the younger recruits begin a moment's horseplay; one of these, a certain Thomas Allen, cocks his musket and inadvertently knocks it against a tree. The weapon fires, and a few yards away a bystander falls heavily to the ground. The unfortunate victim is an older man, also a trainee, Henry Stiles by name. Quickly, the group converges on Stiles, and bears him to the house of the local physican. But the bullet has fatally pierced his heart.

One month later the "particular court" of the Connecticut colony meets in regular session. On it's agenda is an indictment of Thomas Allen: "that...thou didst suddenly, negligently, carelessly cock thy piece, and carry the piece...which piece being charged and going off in thine hand, slew thy neighbor, to the great dishonor of God, breach of the peace, and loss of a member of this commonwealth." Allen confesses the act, and is found guilty of "homicide by misdaventure." For his "sinful neglect and careless carriages" the court orders him to pay a fine of twenty pounds yearling. In addition he is bound to good behavior for the ensuing year, with the special proviso "that he shall not bear arms for the same term."

But this is not the end of the matter. Stiles's death remains a topic of local conversation, and three years later it yields a more drastic result. In November, 1654, the court meets in special session to try a case of witchcraft, against a woman, Lydia Gilbert, also of Windsor: "Lydia Gilbert, thou art here indicted...that not having the fear of God before thine eyes, thou hast of late years or still dost give entertainment to Satan, the great enemy of God and mankind, and by his help hast killed the body of Henry Stiles, besides other witchcrafts, for which according to the law of God and the established law of this comonwealth thou deservest to die." The court, in effect, is considering a complicated question: did Lydia Gilbert's witchcraft cause Thomas Allen's gun to go off, so as to kill Henry Stiles? Evidence is taken on various points deemed relevant. Henry Stiles was a boarder in the Gilbert household for some while before his death. The arrangement was not a happy one; neighbors could recall the sounds of frequent quarreling. From time to time Stiles loaned money and property to his landlord, but this served only to heighten the tension. Goodwife Gilbert, in particular, violated her Christian obligation of charitable and peaceable behavior. A naturally assertive sort, she did not conceal her sense of grievance against Goodman Stiles. In fact, her local reputation has long encompassed some unfavorable elements: disapproval of her quick temper, envy of her success in besting personal antagonists, suspicion that she is not above invoking the "Devil's means." The jury weighs the evidence and reaches its verict; guilty as charged. The magistrates hand down the prescribed sentence of death by hanging. A few days thereafter the sentence is carried out.

Lydia Gilbert was not the first witch to have lived at Windsor, nor would she be the last. For so-called Puritans, the happenstance of everyday life was part of a struggle in which witchcraft played a logical part. The ultimate triumph of Almighty God was assured.

The typical witch was a woman of middle age. Like Lydia Gilbert, she was married, had children, and lived as a settled member of her community. (However, widows and childless women were also suspected, perhaps to an extent disproportionate to their numbers in the population at large.) Some of the accused were quite poor and a few were given to begging; but taken altogether they spanned the entire social spectrum. Most seemed conspicuous, fiesty, quick to take offense, and free in their expression of anger. As such they matched the prevalent stereotype of a witch, with its emphasis on strife and malice and vengeance. It was no accident, in a culture which valued "peaceableness" above all things, that the suspected witches were persons much given to conflict.

To read the full article Entertaining Satan by John Demos locate the Aug/Sep 1978 issue of American Hertiage at your local library.

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