| Administrative History | Born in Maine, Sir William Phipps/Phips (1651-1695) was the son of James Phips from Gloucestershire, England. Despite humble beginnings, after a successful career as a shipwright then army officer, he was knighted in 1687 and appointed royal governor of Massachusetts Bay in 1691.
In May 1692, he created a special court of oyer and terminer to hear the cases of the increasing number of individuals accused of witchcraft in Boston gaols. Dillusioned with the results, he suspended the court in October 1692, established a new court in November 1692 and pardoned all the accused a few months later. Having been summoned to appear before the Privy Council he travelled to London in 1694 and died in February 1695. |