Elizabeth Richardson, Maritime Justice, and Witchcraft at Sea | Who the Law Remembered

By the time the courts of colonial Maryland closed the case against Edward Prescott, two things were true: Elizabeth Richardson was dead and the men responsible for her execution were free.In this episode of Legacy Lore, we examine a rare documented case of a witchcraft accusation at sea in the 17th century, and what happened after Elizabeth Richardson was hanged in 1658.Unlike Katherine Grady’s execution, Elizabeth’s death followed the ship to shore, triggering a legal response that left behind letters, summonses, and colonial court records but not her voice.Through surviving correspondence from Governor Josias Fendall and proceedings of the Maryland Provincial Court, this episode explores how colonial American law investigated authority rather than vulnerability, preserved the explanations of men in power, and allowed fear to become legal insulation.We examine Edward Prescott’s defense, the role of mutiny in maritime law, the court’s requirement for face-to-face testimony, and why John Washington’s absence collapsed the case entirely.This is not a story about justice served or denied. It's a story about who the law was built to hear, and why some lives survive the record while others vanish into it.Because what survives in history is not innocence or guilt - it’s access.Primary Sources (17th Century Records):Maryland Provincial Court Proceedings, 1659 (Liber P.C.R.) — Case concerning Edward Prescott and the execution of Elizabeth RichardsonFendall, Josias. Letter to John Washington, 29 September 1659Washington, John. Letter to Governor Josias Fendall, 30 September 1659The Statutes of the Realm, 1 James I, c.12 (1604 Witchcraft Act)Levack, Brian P. The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern EuropeWillis, Deborah. The Malevolent Witch: Gender and the Social Order in Early Modern EnglandKarlsen, Carol F. The Devil in the Shape of a WomanMaryland colonial governance under Lord Baltimore (Proprietary recordsWashington family genealogical records (17th-century Chesapeake networks)