Ann 'Goody' Glover: Irish Women of Massachusetts

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Ann "Goody" Glover
(1640s – 1688)

In 1688, Irish immigrant Ann “Goody” Glover was the last woman hanged as a witch in Boston, MA, part of a frenzied witch mania that overtook 17th century Puritans. At her trial, Glover spoke in Gaelic, prompting Rev. Cotton Mather to call her ‘obstinate in idolatry.’ She was hung from public gallows near Boston Common. 

In 1988, Boston City Council proclaimed November 16 as ‘Goody Glover Day.’  A plaque remembering Glover is in the foyer of Our Lady of Victories Eucharistic Shrine, 27 Isabella Street in Boston’s South End, part of the Boston Irish Heritage Trail.  The plaque has since been moved to St. Stephen's Catholic Church on Hanover Street in Boston's North End. 

 Ann "Goody" Glover is part of BITA's 2019 Irish Women of Massachusetts series in celebration of Irish Heritage Month and Women's History Month. 

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