Giles Corey

Giles Corey (also spelled Cory or Coree, 1612? - September 19, 1692) was a famous victim of the Salem Witchcraft Trials in early colonial America.

Accused of being a wizard, he refused to enter a plea, so that his property would not revert to the state upon his certain conviction. He died after having rocks laid on him for two days, the weight increasing as he didn't answer. It is said that all he said was "more weight". A contemporary report indicates that "About noon, at Salem, Giles Corey was press'd to death for standing mute."

He is a character in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, in which he is portrayed as a hot-tempered but honorable man who put himself in danger to give evidence critical of the witch trials. His wife Martha was also killed during the hysteria. She was one of the 19 people hanged. According to The Crucible, Giles felt guilty about the accusation of his wife because he had told a minister that Martha had been reading books, which was discouraged in that society.