Giles Corey

American colonist

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July 21, 2026

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Giles Corey was an American colonist accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials in 1692. Unlike most accused individuals, Corey refused to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. This refusal meant he would not be subjected to a trial, but it also meant his property would be confiscated by the crown, leaving his family destitute.

To protest this injustice and preserve his family's inheritance, Corey chose to undergo the punishment of peine forte et dure. This involved being pressed under heavy stones until he submitted a plea or died. Giles Corey was pressed to death, becoming one of the few documented instances of this punishment in the American colonies. His death highlighted the extreme measures taken during the Salem witch trials and contributed to later legal reforms against cruel and unusual punishment.12

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Salem witch trials
The trials
…Martha Corey, whose octogenarian husband, Giles, upon being accused of witchcraft and refusing to enter a plea, had been subjected to peine forte et dure (“strong and hard punishment”) and pressed beneath heavy stones for two days until he died.
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…Martha Corey, whose octogenarian husband, Giles, upon being accused of witchcraft and refusing to enter a plea, had been subjected to peine forte et dure (“strong and hard punishment”) and pressed beneath heavy stones for two days until he died.
Read More