Grace Sherwood

Grace Sherwood The witchcraft case of Grace Sherwood is one of the best known in Virginia. She was accused of bewitching a neighbor's crop in 1698. Allegations grew over time until the Princess Anne County government and her accusers decided she would be tested by ducking, since water was considered pure and would not permit a witch to sink into its depths. Sherwood's accusers, on July 10th, 1706 at ten of the clock, tied her thumbs to big toes cross-bound and dropped her into the western branch of the Lynnhaven River near what is now known as Witchduck Point. Sherwood floated, a sign of guilt. She was imprisoned, but was eventually released. Sherwood lived the rest of her life quietly, and died in 1740. Was she really a witch or was Grace a woman before her time? She was a healer, a midwife and a friend to the children and animals. Grace Sherwood history courtesy of Belinda Nash

The Trial of 1706 At Witchduck Point, 10am July 10th 1706 Grace Sherwood, the daughter of a carpenter and the wife of a planter in the county of Princess Anne, was accused by neighbors of witchcraft. Grace was tried in the second Princess Anne County Courthouse, found guilty and consented to the traditional trial by water. Grace was tied crossbound and dropped into water above man's depth. If she were to sink and drown she was innocent and could be buried on holy ground. Grace did float, thus was guilty as the pure water was casting out her evil spirit. She was incarcerated in the local jail, just beyond this statue. After her release, Grace paid the back taxes on her property in 1714, returned to her farm, and worked the land until her death at age 80 in the autumn of 1740. Grace Sherwood, Virginia's only convicted witch tried by water, she lays claim to Witchduck Road. Her legend lives on as "The Infamous Witch of Pungo".

Virginia Governor Pardons Grace Sherwood

"I am pleased to join the Mayor of Virginia Beach in extending best wishes as you work to promote justice in the 1706 "Witch Ducking" case of Grace Sherwood. With 300 years of hindsight, we all certainly can agree that trial by water is an injustice. We also can celebrate the fact that woman's equality is constitutionally protected today, and women have the freedom to pursue their hopes & dreams. The historical records that survive indicate that Ms. Sherwood, a midwife and widowed mother of three, survived her "trial by water" in 1706. Those records also indicate that one of my predecessors, Governor Alexander Spotswood, eventually helped her reclaim her property. The record also indicates Ms. Sherwood led an otherwise quiet and law abiding life until she died at the age of 80. Today, July 10, 2006, as 70th Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I am pleased to officially restore the good name of Grace Sherwood. Sincerely, Timothy M. Kaine, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia"

Grace Sherwood is known today, 300 years belated, as the only deceased person in Virginia to be exonerated.

Statue of Grace Sherwood The statue of Grace Sherwood, Virginia's only convicted witch tried by water, was unveiled on Saturday, April 21, 2007 at 10 a.m. on the lawn at Bayside Hospital, 800 Independence Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23455. The statue was placed near the corner of Independence Boulevard. and North Witchduck Road. She stands within two tenths of a mile of the old second Princess Anne Courthouse of 1706, the court that tried Grace many times. The statue is one mile west of her ducking point in Witchduck Bay. Grace lays claim to Witchduck Road, Witchduck Point, Sherwood Lane and many local streets and sites. After 300 years to the hour, at 10 a.m., Grace Sherwood was exonerated by Governor Timothy Kaine. Grace White Sherwood Born 1660 Died 1740 Husband James Sherwood Sons James, John and Richard Sculptor Robert Cunningham Placed on these grounds this 21st day of April, 2007 with the overwhelming consent of the Governing Bodies of Sentara Bayside Hospital who called Grace "one of our first healers". Bricks may be placed at the base of the Grace Sherwood Statue in an individual's Memory or Honor. If you would like to purchase a brick or make a donation to the cost of the Statue please print and return the Donation Form Donations may also be made by sending a check to: Ferry Plantation House, 4136 Cheswick Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23455. Include "Grace Sherwood Statue" in the memo section of the check. Grace Sherwood Statue information courtesy of Belinda Nash

The Testing of Grace Sherwood The witchcraft case of Grace Sherwood is one of the best known in Virginia. She was accused of bewitching a neighbor's crop in 1698. Allegations grew over time until the Princess Anne County government and her accusers decided she would be tested by ducking, since water was condiered pure and would not permit a witch to sink into its depths. Sherwood's accusers on 10 July 1706 tied her hands to her feet and dropped her into the Western Branch of the Lynnhaven River near what is now known as Witch Duck Point. Sherwood floated, a sign of guilt. She was imprisoned, but was eventually released. Sherwood lived the rest of her life quietly and died by 1740. Department of Historic Resources, 2002

https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Sherwood_Grace_ca_1660-1740

Grace Sherwood was the defendant in colonial Virginia's most notorious witch trial, which took place in Princess Anne County in 1706. Sherwood was rumored to be a witch as early as 1698, when she and her husband sued their neighbors for defamation and slander. They lost their cases, and in 1705 another neighbor pressed criminal charges of witchcraft against Grace Sherwood. She was subjected to a water test in which the accused is bound, thrown into a body of water (in this case, the Lynnhaven River), and found guilty if he or she floats. Sherwood floated, but instead of sentencing her to death, the justices jailed her and ordered a re-trial. Whether a second trial occurred is not known. By 1714, Sherwood had been released from prison and returned to her home in Pungo, where she died in 1740.

Sherwood was born in Virginia around 1660 to carpenter John White and his wife, Susan White. Around 1680, when Grace married farmer James Sherwood, her father gave his new son-in-law fifty acres of land. After White's death in 1681, James Sherwood received the remainder of his estate. The Sherwoods had three sons—John, James, and Richard—and lived in Pungo, a community in Lower Norfolk County (Princess Anne County after 1691). Little else is known about Sherwood's life before 1698, when she and her husband sued neighbors John and Jane Gisburne and Anthony and Elizabeth Barnes for defamation and slander. The Sherwoods alleged that the Gisburnes had claimed Grace had "bewitched their piggs to death and bewitched their Cotton." Elizabeth Barnes testified that "the said Grace came to her one night and rid [rode] her and went out of the key hole or crack of the door like a black Catt." The Sherwoods lost both cases.

In 1701, James Sherwood died; Grace never remarried. In 1705, she sued Luke and Elizabeth Hill for assault and battery and won twenty pounds sterling in damages. Early the next year, Luke Hill and his wife charged Sherwood with witchcraft, a criminal offense. Sherwood's trial was delayed time and again; finally, the court impaneled a jury of women to search Grace for witch's marks—spots where a witch might suckle her familiar, an animal-like demon given to her by the devil. The women found two such marks, but still the case did not go to trial. County justices attempted to forward the case to a higher court, but it was returned. After an investigation of Sherwood's home, county justices ordered her "to be tried in the water by ducking."

The so-called water test, which had been considered so controversial that it was no longer used in European courts at the time of Sherwood's trial, involved binding the accused's hands and feet and throwing him or her into a body of water. A defendant who sank was presumed innocent, because the water—a pure element—had accepted him or her; a defendant who floated was presumed guilty. In Sherwood's case, the justices took several precautions to ensure her safety: they only administered the test after Sherwood herself had agreed to it, and the test was postponed from its original date because the weather had been "very Rainy & Bad soe yt possibly it might endanger her health."

When the test was finally administered in a branch of the Lynnhaven River on July 10, 1706, Sherwood floated. Once she was ashore, a special women's jury searched her again "for all teats Spotts & marks about her body not usuall on others." These women found two black marks on Sherwood's body, and as a result she was convicted as a witch and ordered to jail to await another trial. What happened next is uncertain; no records of a second trial exist. Sherwood appeared before the county court in 1708 to pay a debt, and in 1714, she petitioned the secretary of the colony for reinstatement of her land, so most scholars assume that by this time she had been released from prison. Her request for reinstatement was granted, and she lived the remainder of her life on her 144-acre farm. Sherwood's will was proved in 1740, which is likely the year of her death.

Because few facts are known about Grace Sherwood's life, her story has been expanded upon where there is no historical record. As late as 1883, some historians believed that Sherwood was the only woman accused of witchcraft in Virginia, which contributed to her fame. In 1869, writer W. C. Elam asserted that Sherwood was a "negress," and thus the charges against her were evidence of racial and religious intolerance in the early South. In 1973, Louisa Venable Kyle increased popular interest in the Sherwood's story when she published the children's book The Witch of Pungo. Sherwood is often portrayed as a healer, familiar with herbs and friendly to animals. She has also been described as wearing male clothing, or as being so beautiful that she attracted the attention of men in the community, angering their wives. The historical record, however, does not support these descriptions.

Sherwood has become a local legend in Virginia Beach, where she is popularly known as the "Witch of Pungo" and the "Virginia Witch." Several landmarks in the Virginia Beach area are named for her water trial, including Witchduck Road and Witchduck Point, where the trial allegedly took place. In Pungo, "the Witch" is an honorary official of the town's annual strawberry festival. A reenactment of Sherwood's trial is also part of the programming at Colonial Williamsburg.

On July 10, 2006, exactly 300 years after her trial by water, Virginia governor Timothy Kaine pardoned Sherwood. Virginia Beach mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf read the pardon aloud during an annual reenactment of the trial at the Ferry Plantation House. Oberndorf also declared July 10 to be celebrated as Grace Sherwood Day. The following year, a statue of Sherwood was unveiled in Virginia Beach.

Time Line

ca. 1660 - Grace White is born to John White, a carpenter, and his wife, Susan. Though the exact location of her birth is unknown, it is likely in the Virginia Beach area.

ca. 1680 - Grace White marries James Sherwood, a farmer. They will have three sons: John, James, and Richard. John White, Grace's father, gives his son-in-law fifty acres of land.

May 11, 1681 - The will of John White, father of Grace Sherwood, is proved. White leaves all of his land to his son-in-law James Sherwood.

1698 - James and Grace Sherwood sue John and Jane Gisburne and Anthony and Elizabeth Barnes for defamation and slander. The Sherwoods allege that both couples accused Grace Sherwood of practicing witchcraft.

September 1701 - By this time, James Sherwood has died. His wife, Grace, never remarries.

December 12, 1705 - Grace Sherwood sues Luke and Elizabeth Hill for assault and battery. Sherwood wins the case and is awarded twenty pounds sterling.

January 1706 - Luke Hill formally charges Grace Sherwood with witchcraft.

March 1706 - In response to Luke Hill's charge of witchcraft against Grace Sherwood, the Princess Anne County Court impanels a jury of women, including Elizabeth Barnes, to search Sherwood's body for witch's marks. The jury finds two marks, and Sherwood is ordered to jail to await trial.

July 10, 1706 - Grace Sherwood undergoes a water test to determine whether she is guilty of the charge of witchcraft. Sherwood floats, indicating her guilt, and once ashore is examined for witch's marks. A jury of women finds two marks. Sherwood is imprisoned and ordered to undergo another trial. It is unclear whether the second trial ever occurred.

September 1, 1708 - Grace Sherwood pays a debt of 600 pounds of tobacco to another colonist.

1714 - Grace Sherwood petitions the secretary of the colony for restoration of her property to her. He grants her the 144 acres that the Sherwoods inherited from Grace's father, John White, in 1681.

October 1, 1740 - Grace Sherwood's will is proved. Her son John Sherwood is the executor of her will and inherits most of her land and her belongings.

1973 - Louisa Venable Kyle publishes a children's book, The Witch of Pungo. Her short story of the same name revives Grace Sherwood's popularity in southeastern Virginia.

July 10, 2006 - Three hundred years after Grace Sherwood was found guilty of witchcraft by water trial, Governor Timothy Kaine pardons her. During an annual reenactment of Sherwood's trial, Virginia Beach mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf declares July 10 to be celebrated henceforth as Grace Sherwood Day.

2007 - A bronze statue of Grace Sherwood, sculpted by Robert G. Cunningham, is placed in front of Sentara Bayside Hospital in Virginia Beach.

GEDCOM Note

Daughters?

All of the research reflects that Grace had 3 sons but in this record it also states 2 daughters. Is there any research that validates this information?

GEDCOM Note

Life Sketch

Sherwood was born in Virginia around 1660 to carpenter John White and his wife, Susan White. Around 1680, when Grace married farmer James Sherwood, her father gave his new son-in-law fifty acres of land. After White's death in 1681, James Sherwood received the remainder of his estate. The Sherwoods had three sons—John, James, and Richard—and lived in Pungo, a community in Lower Norfolk County (Princess Anne County after 1691). Little else is known about Sherwood's life before 1698, when she and her husband sued neighbors John and Jane Gisburne and Anthony and Elizabeth Barnes for defamation and slander. The Sherwoods alleged that the Gisburnes had claimed Grace had "bewitched their piggs to death and bewitched their Cotton." Elizabeth Barnes testified that "the said Grace came to her one night and rid [rode] her and went out of the key hole or crack of the door like a black Catt." The Sherwoods lost both cases. Title: Record of Grace Sherwood's Trial

Record of Grace Sherwood's Trial

In 1701, James Sherwood died; Grace never remarried. In 1705, she sued Luke and Elizabeth Hill for assault and battery and won twenty pounds sterling in damages. Early the next year, Luke Hill and his wife charged Sherwood with witchcraft, a criminal offense. Sherwood's trial was delayed time and again; finally, the court impaneled a jury of women to search Grace for witch's marks—spots where a witch might suckle her familiar, an animal-like demon given to her by the devil. The women found two such marks, but still the case did not go to trial. County justices attempted to forward the case to a higher court, but it was returned. After an investigation of Sherwood's home, county justices ordered her "to be tried in the water by ducking."

The so-called water test, which had been considered so controversial that it was no longer used in European courts at the time of Sherwood's trial, involved binding the accused's hands and feet and throwing him or her into a body of water. A defendant who sank was presumed innocent, because the water—a pure element—had accepted him or her; a defendant who floated was presumed guilty. In Sherwood's case, the justices took several precautions to ensure her safety: they only administered the test after Sherwood herself had agreed to it, and the test was postponed from its original date because the weather had been "very Rainy & Bad soe yt possibly it might endanger her health."

When the test was finally administered in a branch of the Lynnhaven River on July 10, 1706, Sherwood floated. Once she was ashore, a special women's jury searched her again "for all teats Spotts & marks about her body not usuall on others." These women found two black marks on Sherwood's body, and as a result she was convicted as a witch and ordered to jail to await another trial. What happened next is uncertain; no records of a second trial exist. Sherwood appeared before the county court in 1708 to pay a debt, and in 1714, she petitioned the secretary of the colony for reinstatement of her land, so most scholars assume that by this time she had been released from prison. Her request for reinstatement was granted, and she lived the remainder of her life on her 144-acre farm. Sherwood's will was proved in 1740, which is likely the year of her death.

Because few facts are known about Grace Sherwood's life, her story has been expanded upon where there is no historical record. As late as 1883, some historians believed that Sherwood was the only woman accused of witchcraft in Virginia, which contributed to her fame. In 1869, writer W. C. Elam asserted that Sherwood was a "negress," and thus the charges against her were evidence of racial and religious intolerance in the early South. In 1973, Louisa Venable Kyle increased popular interest in the Sherwood's story when she published the children's book The Witch of Pungo. Sherwood is often portrayed as a healer, familiar with herbs and friendly to animals. She has also been described as wearing male clothing, or as being so beautiful that she attracted the attention of men in the community, angering their wives. The historical record, however, does not support these descriptions.

Sherwood has become a local legend in Virginia Beach, where she is popularly known as the "Witch of Pungo" and the "Virginia Witch." Several landmarks in the Virginia Beach area are named for her water trial, including Witchduck Road and Witchduck Point, where the trial allegedly took place. In Pungo, "the Witch" is an honorary official of the town's annual strawberry festival. A reenactment of Sherwood's trial is also part of the programming at Colonial Williamsburg.

On July 10, 2006, exactly 300 years after her trial by water, Virginia governor Timothy Kaine pardoned Sherwood. Virginia Beach mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf read the pardon aloud during an annual reenactment of the trial at the Ferry Plantation House. Oberndorf also declared July 10 to be celebrated as Grace Sherwood Day. The following year, a statue of Sherwood was unveiled in Virginia Beach. Time Line

ca. 1660 - Grace White is born to John White, a carpenter, and his wife, Susan. Though the exact location of her birth is unknown, it is likely in the Virginia Beach area. ca. 1680 - Grace White marries James Sherwood, a farmer. They will have three sons: John, James, and Richard. John White, Grace's father, gives his son-in-law fifty acres of land. May 11, 1681 - The will of John White, father of Grace Sherwood, is proved. White leaves all of his land to his son-in-law James Sherwood. 1698 - James and Grace Sherwood sue John and Jane Gisburne and Anthony and Elizabeth Barnes for defamation and slander. The Sherwoods allege that both couples accused Grace Sherwood of practicing witchcraft. September 1701 - By this time, James Sherwood has died. His wife, Grace, never remarries. December 12, 1705 - Grace Sherwood sues Luke and Elizabeth Hill for assault and battery. Sherwood wins the case and is awarded twenty pounds sterling. January 1706 - Luke Hill formally charges Grace Sherwood with witchcraft. March 1706 - In response to Luke Hill's charge of witchcraft against Grace Sherwood, the Princess Anne County Court impanels a jury of women, including Elizabeth Barnes, to search Sherwood's body for witch's marks. The jury finds two marks, and Sherwood is ordered to jail to await trial. July 10, 1706 - Grace Sherwood undergoes a water test to determine whether she is guilty of the charge of witchcraft. Sherwood floats, indicating her guilt, and once ashore is examined for witch's marks. A jury of women finds two marks. Sherwood is imprisoned and ordered to undergo another trial. It is unclear whether the second trial ever occurred. September 1, 1708 - Grace Sherwood pays a debt of 600 pounds of tobacco to another colonist. 1714 - Grace Sherwood petitions the secretary of the colony for restoration of her property to her. He grants her the 144 acres that the Sherwoods inherited from Grace's father, John White, in 1681. October 1, 1740 - Grace Sherwood's will is proved. Her son John Sherwood is the executor of her will and inherits most of her land and her belongings. 1973 - Louisa Venable Kyle publishes a children's book, The Witch of Pungo. Her short story of the same name revives Grace Sherwood's popularity in southeastern Virginia. July 10, 2006 - Three hundred years after Grace Sherwood was found guilty of witchcraft by water trial, Governor Timothy Kaine pardons her. During an annual reenactment of Sherwood's trial, Virginia Beach mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf declares July 10 to be celebrated henceforth as Grace Sherwood Day. 2007 - A bronze statue of Grace Sherwood, sculpted by Robert G. Cunningham, is placed in front of Sentara Bayside Hospital in Virginia Beach.

Categories Women's History Colonial History (ca. 1560–1763)

Further Reading "The Virginia Case of Grace Sherwood, 1706." In Narratives of the New England Witchcraft Cases, ed. George Lincoln Burr, 433–442. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 2002. Davis, Richard Beale. "The Devil in Virginia in the Seventeenth Century." The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 65 (April 1957): 131–149. Gibson, Marion. Witchcraft Myths in American Culture. New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007. Kyle, Louisa Venable. The Witch of Pungo and Other Historical Stories of the Early Colonies. Portsmouth, Virginia: Printcraft Press, 1973. Cite This Entry

APA Citation:

Witkowski, M. C. Grace Sherwood (ca. 1660–1740). (2014, January 1). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Sherwood_Grace_ca_1660-1740. MLA Citation:

Witkowski, Monica C. "Grace Sherwood (ca. 1660–1740)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.

First published: October 7, 2011 | Last modified: January 1, 2014

Contributed by Monica C. Witkowski, an independent scholar from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Is this the same person as there are two dates for her birth 1647 and 1660, all the family history line up but different birthdays

See Grace's Wikitree profile for her Last Will and Testament https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/White-33809

GEDCOM Note

16 June 1714

145 Acres given to Grace Sherwood in Princess Anne, Virginia

GEDCOM Note

Grace White 1647 – 1740 Grace (White) Sherwood (my Great Grandmother, Vera (Meeks) Farris's 7th Great Grandmother) was born in Virginia around 1660 to carpenter John White and his wife, Susan White.

"Around 1680, when Grac