Alice Bishop

Alice Martin, born 1616, died October 1648 in Plymouth, MA

Married first: George Clark b: 1620 married about 1640 died before 1644

2 children of Alice and George:

1. Abigail Clark born about 1642
2. Martha Clark born about 1644, died July 22, 1648

Married second: Richard Bishop b: December 05, 1612 in England married December 05, 1644 in Plymouth

2 children of Alice and Richard:

1. Damaris Bishop born 1645 in Eastham, Plymouth, MA died February 06, 1681/82 Middlesex, NJ Married William SUTTON b: May 25, 1641 in Scituate, Plymouth, MA married July 11, 1666 in Eastham, Barnstable, MA died April 28, 1718 in Piscataway, Middlesex, NJ
2. James Bishop born about 1646 married Mary HUDSON born after 1646 married December 12, 1665 in Pembroke, Plymouth Co., MA died June 30, 1740 in Pembroke, Plymouth Co., MA

Alice's parental lineage is disputed. Some researchers place her parents as Christopher Martin and Marie Prower who were Mayflower passengers who died shortly after arrival in Plymouth Colony. Other researchers dispute this connection. The Mayflower Society does not recognise Alice Martin as the daughter of Christopher Martin.

Notes on Alice MARTIN:

Richard Bishop married Alice (Martin) Clark on December 5, 1644 [possibly as his second wife]. She was the widow of George Clark, and tragically ended her life by murdering her own child, and was subsequently hung therefor, in 1648. There is a mournful account of the murder by Alice Bishop of her daughter, Martha Clarke, 4 years old, July 22, 1648 (Savage, Vol. I, page 393). She also had another daughter, Abigail Clark. There is also reference to "Damaris, (wife of the first William Sutton), daughter of Alice and Richard Bishop". When William Sutton removed to New Jersey, Bishop sold his property at Duxbury, and went to live with him. Richard Bishop was called "of Piscattaway in Artercull or New Jersey," when he sold to Capt. Benjamin Church his property in the Colony (Winsor's Duxbury, page 228.).

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• from http://www.sisley.ws/Familys/Bishop%20Info.htm

The "Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England" edited by Nathaniel B. Shurtleff (Boston 1855), volume two of Court Orders (1641-1651) contains the following:

II:132  Court session held at New Plymouth on 1 August 1648. On 22 July 1648 a committee was sworn by Governor William Bradford "to make inquiry of the death of the child of Allis Bishop, the wife of Richard Bishope." Their report stated that they had found blood on the floor at the foot of the ladder what lead to the upper chamber in the Bishop house, and that in the upper chamber they found the body of a female child, about four years of age, with her throat cut several times. In addition they found the knife, and reported that Mrs. Bishop confessed to five members (all at the same time) of the twelve-man jury that she had killed her child. The child's body had originally been discovered by one Rachel Ramsden, the twenty-three year old wife of Joseph Ramsden. Mrs. Ramsden had told her parents of her discovery and very shortly the law was after Mrs. Bishop.

II:134 Two months later, at the Court held at Plymouth on 4 October 1648, Alice Bishop was indicted "for felonius murder by her comited upon Martha Clark, her owne child, the frute of her own body." The Grand Jury of seventeen men found a true bill, and immediately following the petit jury of twelve men found her guilty of the murder. She then "had the sentence of death pronounced against her, viz., to bee taken from the place where shee was to the place from whence shee came, and thence to the place of execution, and there to be hanged by the necke vntell her body is dead, which acordingly was executed." Very likely she was executed almost immediately. There is no mention in the records that the execution took place in Daxbury, but even so the delay would not have been very long.

These sheweth, that on Jul the 22cond, 1648, wee, whosse names are vnderwritten, were sworne by Mr Bradford, gouerner, to make inquiry of the death of the child of Allis Bishop, the wife of Richard Bishope. Wee declare, yt coming into the house of the said Richard Bishope, wee saw at the foot of a ladder wh leadeth into an vpper chamer, much blood; and going vp all of vs into the chamber, wee found a woman child, of about foure yeares of age, lying in her shifte vppon her left cheeke, with her throat cut with diuers gashes crose wayes, the wind pipe cut and stuke into the throat downward, and a bloody knife lying by the side of the child, with wh knife all of vs judg, and the said Allis hath confessed to fiue of vs at one time, yt shee murdered the child with the said knife. JOHN HOWLAND, JAMES COLE, JAMES HURST, GYELLS RICKARD, ROBERT LEE, RICHARD SPARROW, JOHN SHAWE, THOMAS POPE, FRANCIS COOKE, FRANCIS BILLINGTON, JOHN COOKE, WILLIAM NELSON.

Rachell, the wife of Joepth Ramsden, aged about 23 yeares, being examined, saith that coming to the house of Richard Bishope vppon an erand, the wife of the said Richard Bishope requested her to goe fetch her som buttermilke at Goodwife Winslows, and gaue her a ketle for that purpose, and she went and did it; and before shee wente,shee saw the child lyinge abed asleep, to her best deserning, and the woman was as well as shee hath knowne her att any time; but when shee came shee found her sad and dumpish; shee asked her what blood was that shee saw at the ladders foot; shee pointed vnto the chamber, and bid her looke, but shee perseiued shee had kiled her child, and being afraid, shee refused, and ran and tould her father and mother. Morouer, shee saith the reason yt moued her to thinke shee had kiled her child was yt when shee saw the blood shee looked on the bedd, and the child was not there.

Taken vppon oath by mee, WILLIAM BRADFORD, The day and year aboue written.

Alice was married prior to her wedding to Bishop.

She confessed that she murdered her daughter by the previous husband. She was the first woman to be hung for murder in the colony.

parents

from Alice Martin Clark Bishop (1612-1648) posted 24 August 2012

When using Familysearch.org you must look at the sources of the information that you are seeing. Some comes from extracted records and is reliable, but some comes from other sources, such as church member submissions, and is not reliable. What you saw was apparently an IGI entry submitted by a church member.

Christopher and Mary (___) (Prowe/Prower) Martin had only one recorded child, Nathaniel, bp. Great Burstead 26-Feb-1609/10, and apparently alive there in 1620, per the well-researched "Christopher Martin, Great Burstead and The Mayflower" by R. J. Carpenter (Chelmsford, Essex, England: Barstable Book, 1982), which cites English church and court records. Mary was the widow of a man named Prowe/Prower, given name unknown, and Mary's surname is unknown.

"Solomon Martin" was actually Solomon Prower, Mary's son by her first marriage, who also came on the Mayflower (Bradford listed him as one of the Martins' two servants) and died at Plymouth on 24-Dec-1620. Christopher Martin died at Plymouth on board the Mayflower on 08-Jan-1620/21, and his wife Mary died at Plymouth some time during that first winter.

Dale H. Cook, Member, NEHGS and MA Society of Mayflower Descendants; Plymouth Co. MA Coordinator for the USGenWeb Project Administrator of http://plymouthcolony.net

=================

Alice Martin (Clark, Bishop) by Shirley Cravens, IBSSG

Alice BISHOP Story with Information given me states:

We declare that coming into the house of said Richard Bishop we saw at the foot of a ladder leading to the upper chamber, much blood and going up all of us into the chamber, we found a woman child of about four years of age lying in her shift upon her left cheek, with her throat cut with gashes crossways, the wind pipe cut and stuck into the throat downward and bloody knife lying by the side of the child. The said Alice Bishop hath confessed to the five of us at one time that she murdered the child with said knife. Rachell, the wife of Joseph Ramsden, aged about 23 years, being examined, said that coming to the house of Richard Bishop on an errand, the wife of Richard Bishop, Alice, requested her to go fetch her some buttermilk at Goodwife Winslows, and gave her a kettle for that purpose and she went and did it and before she went she saw the child lying in bed asleep to her best discerning and the woman was as well as she has known her to be.

When she came back for Goodwife Winslows she found her sad and dumpish. She asked her what blood she saw at the ladders foot and she pointed into the chamber and bid her look, but she perceived that she had killed the child and being afraid, she refused and ran and told her father and mother. Moreover she said the reason she believed she had killed the child when she saw the blood she looked on the bed and the child was not there.

At a court of Assistants held at New Plymouth the first of August, 1648 before M. Bradford, governor, Mr. Coliar, Captain Miles Standish and Mr. William Thomas, gent, assistants the said Alice being examined, confessed she did commit the aforesaid murder and is sorry for it. A list of jurors for inquest and the jury that found her guilty is listed . These found the Alice Bishop guilty of the said felonious murder of Martha Clarke. She had the sentence of death pronounced against her. To be taken from the place where she was to the place from whence she came, and thence to the place of execution, and there is be hanged by the neck until her body is death, which accordingly was executed.

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the foot of a ladder leading to the upper chamber, much blood and

going up all of us into the chamber, we found a woman child of about

four years of age lying in her shift upon her left cheek, with her

throat cut with gashes crossways, the wind pipe cut and stuck into the

throat downward and bloody knife lying by the side of the child. The

said Alice Bishop hath confessed to the five of us at one time that

she murdered the child with said knife. Rachell, the wife of Joseph

Ramsden, aged about 23 years, being examined, said that coming to the

house of Richard Bishop on an errand, the wife of Richard Bishop,

Alice, requested her to go fetch her some buttermilk at Goodwife

Winslows, and gave her a kettle for that purpose and she went and did

it and before she went she saw the child lying in bed asleep to her

best discerning and the woman was as well as she has known her to be.

When she came back for Goodwife Winslows she found her sad and

dumpish. She asked her what blood she saw at the ladders foot and she

pointed into the chamber and bid her look, but she perceived that she

had killed the child and being afraid, she refused and ran and told

her father and mother. Moreover she said the reason she believed she

had killed the child when she saw the blood she looked on the bed and

the child was not there. At a court of Assistants held at New Plymouth

the first of August, 1648 before M. Bradford, governor, Mr. Coliar,

Captain Miles Standish and Mr. William Thomas, gent, assistants the

said Alice being examined, confessed she did commit the aforesaid

murder and is sorry for it. A list of jurors for inquest and the jury

that found her guilty is listed . These found the Alice Bishop guilty

of the said felonious murder of Martha Clarke. She had the sentence of

death pronounced against her. To be taken from the place where she was

to the place from whence she came, and thence to the place of

execution, and there is be hanged by the neck until her body is death,

which accordingly was executed. (See also following entry)

-Alice Bishop-

by Susan, IBSSG

Her name is Alice Martin Clarke Bishop(my 10 or 11th great

grandmother). She was executed in the Plymouth Colony in 1648 for the

murder of her daughter, Martha Clark by her first marriage. She was

the first woman hanged in the colonies. I feel there is more to this

story than has been told and I am currently exploring it. Here is the

excerpt from one of the Plymouth histories:

In July 1648 a coroners jury reported that "coming into the house of

the said Richard Bishope we saw at the foot of a ladder which leadeth

into an upper chamber, much blood; and going up all of us into the

chamber, we found a woman child of about four years of age lying in

her shifte uppon her left chek with her throut cut with divers gashed

cross ways the wind pipe cut and stuke into the throat downward, and a

bloody knife lying by the side of the child, with which knife all of

us judge and the said allis hath confessed to five of us at one time,

that shee murdered the child with the said knife." Rachel Ramsden

testified that when she went to Richard Bishops' house on an errand,

"the wife of the said Richard Bishope requested her to go fetch her

some buttermilk at goodwife winslows and gave her a ketle for that

purpose and she went and did it and before she went she saw the child

lying abed asleep. But when she came she found alice bishop sad and

dumpish she asked her what blood was that she saw at the ladders foot

she pointed unto the chamber and bid her look but she perseived she

had killed her child and being afraid she refused and ran and told her

father and mother. Moreover she saith the reason that moved her to

think she had kelled her child was that when she saw the blood she

looked on the bed and the child was not there. The child was alice

martin clarke bishop's daughter martha clark by alice's first husband

george clark. On 1 august 1648 alice bishop confessed she had murdered

her daughter and said she was sorry for it. And on 4 october 1648 she

was sentenced to be hanged, which accordingly was executed."

Plymouth Colony its History and People 1620-1691

Some other interesting evidence I found was that at some point Alice

stated she "had no recollection" of the event but pleaded "no contest"

to the murder. These statements are from the jury records. Again I

feel strongly that there is something missing. Perhaps she did do it,

but something in the evidence and in my gut tells me there's more than

is being told.

http://www.suttonfamilyhome.net/alicemartinclark.html

Alice Martin

Alice Martin, born 1616, died October 1648 in Plymouth, MA

Married first: George Clark b: 1620 married about 1640 died before 1644

       The children of Alice and George:

       Martha Clark born about 1644, died July 22, 1648 

       Abigail Clark born about 1642 

Married second: Richard Bishop b: December 05, 1612 in England, married December 05, 1644 in Plymouth

The children of Alice and Richard:

       A. Damaris Bishop born 1645 in Eastham, Plymouth, MA   died February 06, 1681/82, Middlesex, NJ, Married William SUTTON b: May 25, 1641 in Scituate, Plymouth,        MA  married July 11, 1666 in Eastham, Barnstable, MA died April 28, 1718 in Piscataway, Middlesex, NJ

       B. James Bishop born about 1646 married Mary HUDSON born after 1646  married December 12, 1665 in Pembroke, Plymouth Co., MA died June 30, 1740 in Pembroke, Plymouth Co., MA 

__________________

http://www.sisley.ws/Familys/Bishop%20Info.htm

ALICE (ALLIS) MARTIN was first married to Georg(e) Clarke on Jan. 22, 1638/9

      The "Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England" edited by Nathaniel B. Shurtleff (Boston 1855), volume two of Court Orders (1641-1651) contains the following:

      II:132  Court session held at New Plymouth on 1 August 1648. On 22 July 1648 a committee was sworn by Governor William Bradford "to make inquiry of the death of the child of Allis Bishop, the wife of Richard Bishope." Their report stated that they had found blood on the floor at the foot of the ladder what lead to the upper chamber in the Bishop house, and that in the upper chamber they found the body of a female child, about four years of age, with her throat cut several times. In addition they found the knife, and reported that Mrs. Bishop confessed to five members (all at the same time) of the twelve-man jury that she had killed her child. The child's body had originally been discovered by one Rachel Ramsden, the twenty-three year old wife of Joseph Ramsden. Mrs. Ramsden had told her parents of her discovery and very shortly the law was after Mrs. Bishop.

      II:134 Two months later, at the Court held at Plymouth on 4 October 1648, Alice Bishop was indicted "for felonius murder by her comited upon Martha Clark, her owne child, the frute of her own body." The Grand Jury of seventeen men found a true bill, and immediately following the petit jury of twelve men found her guilty of the murder. She then "had the sentence of death pronounced against her, viz., to bee taken from the place where shee was to the place from whence shee came, and thence to the place of execution, and there to be hanged by the necke vntell her body is dead, which acordingly was executed." Very likely she was executed almost immediately. There is no mention in the records that the execution took place in Daxbury, but even so the delay would not have been very long.

      II:137-138 On the following 6 March 1648/9 Richard Bishop was presented at court in Plymouth for stealing a spade belonging to one Andrew Ring. He was judged guilty, and sentenced to both sit in the stocks and also replace the spade with a new one prior to the June General Court, or be whipped. He had not complied with the court order by 1 May 1649. That same court ordered that one John Churchill of Plymouth was to sell or lease the property of the late George Clark for the benefit of his daughter Abigail Clark.

A more exact copy of the Plymouth Colony Records - Court orders- Volume I, pages 132, 3 & 4 follows (with current spelling):

(.175) These shown, that on July the 22th, 1648, we whose names are underwritten, were sworn by Mr. Bradford, governor, to make inquiry of the death of the child of Allis Bishop, the wife of Richard Bishope.

      We declare that coming into the house of the said Richard Bishope we saw at the foot of a ladder that led into an upper chamber, much blood; and going up all of us into the chamber, was found a dead woman child, of about four years of age, lying in her shift upon her left cheek, with her throat cut with divers gashes cross ways, the wind pipe out and stuck into the throat downward, and a bloody knife lying by the side of the child, with which knife all of us judged, and the said Allis hath confessed to five of us at one time, that she murdered the child with the said knife.

John Howland James Cole

James Hurst Gyells Rickard

Robert Lee Richard Sparrow

John Shawe Thomas Pope

Francis Cooke Francis Billington

John Cooke Francis Billington

William Nelson

     Rachell, wife of Josepth Ramsden, age about 23 years, being examined, said that coming to the house of Richard Bishop upon an errand, the wife of the said Richard Bishope requested her to go fetch her some buttermilk at Goodwife Winslows, and gave her a kettle for that purpose, and she went and did it; and before she went, she saw the child lying abed asleep, to her best decerning and the woman was as well as she had known her at any time; but when she came she found her sad and dumpish; she asked her what blood was that she saw at the ladders foot; she pointed unto the chamber, and bid her look, but she persisted she had killed her child, and being afraid, she refused, and ran and told her father and mother. Moreover, she said the reason that moved her to think she had killed her child was that when she saw the blood she looked on the bed, and the child was not there.

      Taken upon oath by me,                    William Bradford

                  The day and year above written

      At a Court of Assistants held at New Plymouth, the first of August, 1648, before Mr. Bradford, Governor, Mr. Coliar, Captain Miles Standish, and Mr. William Thomas, Gent, Assistants, the said Allice, being examined, confessed she did commit the aforesaid murder, and is sorry for it.

      1648 "At the General Court of our Sovereign Lord the King, held at Plymouth aforesaid, the 4th of October, 1648

4 October before Mr. Bradford, Governor,

 	Mr. Thomas Prence

 	Captain Miles Standish

 	Mr. Timothy Hatherle and

 	Mr. William Thomas,

 	Gent, Assistants.

NEW

PLYMOUTH

MR.

BRADFORD

GOV.

(177.)     

At this Court, Allice Bishope, the wife of Richard Bishope, of New Plymouth, was indited for felonious murder

by her committed, upon Martha Clark, her own child, the

fruit of her own body.

The names of the grand inquest that went on trial of the aforesaid bill of indictment, were these:-

John Dunham, Sen. John Barker

Isaske Weels Josepth Colman

Mr. Thomas Burne John Allis

Robert Finny Thomas Bordman

Henery Wood James Bursell

Ephrain Hickes Josepth Tory

James Walker Micsell Backwell

James Wyat Daniell Cole

Loue Brewster

These found the bill's true bill

The petty jury names that went upon her trial were these:-

Josias Winslow, Sen.

) Gyells Rickard )

Thomas Shillingsworth

) John Staw, Sen. )

Anthony Snowe ) Steuen Wood )

Richard Sparrow )

sworn

William Mericke ) sworn

Gabrlell Fallowell ) William Brete )

Joshua Prat ) John Willis )

These found the said Allice Bishope guilty of the said felonious murder of Martha Clarke aforesaid; and so she had the sentence of death pronounced against her, viz., to be taken from the place where she was to the place from whence she came, and thence to the place of execution, and there to be hanged by the neck until her body is dead, which accordingly was executed.

Ref: the Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England edited by Nathaniel B. Shurtleff (Boston, 1855), volume one of Court Orders (1633-1640) and volume two of the same (1641-1651).

first woman hanged in colony, for murder of daughter by first marriage

First women hanged in Colonial Colonies. On 1 August 1648 Alice Bishop confessed she had murdered her (step) daughter and said she was sorry for it.