Alicia Martin Bishop

Case record: Alicia Martin Bishop (Alice Martin Clarke Bishop)

Background

Alicia Martin Bishop was hanged for the murder of her infant daughter, Martha (Martha Clark), who was described as having been about four years of age.

The record referred to Alice Martin (Clarke) Bishop as a Mayflower passenger and as the wife of Richard Bishop. It also stated she was the parent of Damaris Bishop. The record also linked the child Martha Clark to Alice’s first husband, George Clark.

The record included family details and marriages:

• Alice Martin was described as having been born c. 1620 in England/MA? and as having died c. 04 Oct 1648 in Scituate, Plymouth CO, MA.
• She married George Clark on 22 Jan 1639 in Plymouth CO, MA.
• She married Richard Bishop on 05 Dec 1644 in Scituate, Plymouth CO, MA.

The record stated that Alice (Martin) Clarke Bishop was the child of her first husband, George Clark, and that Martha Clark was her daughter.

The record included a note that:

• “ALICE (MARTIN) CLARK BISHOP WAS HUNG FOR THE MURDER OF HER INFANT DAUGHTER MARTHA CLARK, CHILD OF HER FIRST HUSBAND GEORGE CLARK B1620 M1639 D 1644.”

The record also included a statement about recognition by the Mayflower Society:

• The Mayflower Society did not recognise Alice Martin as the daughter of Christopher Martin.

The offence

Alice Bishop was hanged for stabbing to death her four-year-old daughter, Martha Clark, in July 1648.

The record described the murder scene:

• The murder scene was on the second floor of the family home.
• It was described as “a bloody mess.”
• A coroners jury report stated that they came into the house of Richard Bishope and saw “much blood” at the foot of a ladder leading into an upper chamber, and then found a woman child of about four years of age lying “in her shifte uppon her left cheeke.”
• The child’s “throut” was “cut” with “divers gashed crose wayes,” the “wind pipe” was “cut and stuke into the throat downward,” and a “bloody knife” lay by the side of the child.
• The jurors judged that the knife was the knife “with which knife” they judged that Alice had murdered the child.

The record stated that the child was asleep in bed in the loft, which was accessible by ladder.

The record stated that Alice admitted she had killed her daughter.

Investigation

The record said that a coroners jury reported findings in July 1648.

Investigation and witness evidence (verbatim)

The record provided a coroners jury account in quotation marks:

"In July 1648 a coroners jury reported that "coming into the house of the said Richard Bishope, we saw at the foot of a ladder which leadeth into an upper chamber, much blood; and going up all of us into the chamber, wee found a woman child, of about foure yeares of age, lying in her shifte uppon her left cheeke, with her throut cut with divers gashed crose wayes, the wind pipe cut and stuke into the throat downward, and a bloody knife lying by the side of the child, with which knife all of us judge, and the said Allis hath confessed to five of us at one time, that shee murdered the child with the said knife""

The record also provided testimony by Rachel Ramsden, quoted verbatim:

"Rachel Ramsden testified that when she went to Richard Bishops's house on an errand, "the wife of the said Richard Bishope requested her to goe fetch her some buttermilke at Goodwife Winslows, and gave her a ketle for that purpose, and shee went and did it; and before shee went, shee saw the child lyinge abed asleepe ..., but when shee came shee found [Alice Bishop] sad and dumpish; shee asked her what blood was that shee saw at the ladders foot; shee pointed unto the chamber, and bid her looke, but shee perseived shee had killed her child, and being afraid, shee refused, and ran and tould her father and mother. Moreover, shee saith the reason that moved her to think shee had killed her child was that when shee saw the blood shee looked on the bedd, and the child was not there"."

The record stated that the child was Alice (Martin) Clarke Bishop’s daughter, Martha Clark, by Alice’s first husband, George Clark.

Arrest and detention

The record described that:

• Her father rushed to find the colonial governor.
• A posse of twelve armed men assembled and went to the Bishop house.
• By the time the men arrived, Alice was in hysterics.
• The men ascended to the loft and found Martha’s body.

Confession

The record included the timing of confession:

• It stated that on 1 August, 1648, Alice Bishop confessed she had murdered her daughter and said she was sorry for it.
• It also stated that Alice had confessed to five of those persons.

The record included that Alice freely admitted she had murdered her daughter and said she was sorry, but she claimed she had no recollection of the crime.

Trial

The record stated that:

• Alice was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to be hanged by the neck until she was dead.
• There were witnesses who observed the dead child shortly after the murder took place.

Sentencing

The record stated that:

• On 4 October 1648 she was sentenced to be hanged.
• The sentence was carried out.
• Alice was executed in 1648.

Timeline

• July 1648 — A coroners jury reported finding the injured child and a bloody knife; it described the child as about foure yeares of age, with the wind pipe cut and stuke into the throat downward, and recorded that Alice had confessed to five of them that she murdered the child with the knife.
• 1 August, 1648 — Alice Bishop confessed she had murdered her daughter Martha Clark and said she was sorry for it.
• 4 October 1648 — Alice Bishop was sentenced to be hanged and was executed.

Outcome

Alicia Martin Bishop, also identified in the record as Alice Martin Clarke Bishop, was executed by hanging on October 4, 1648.

The record stated that she was “the first woman in the colonies who was hanged” and also said she was “the first woman” and “the fifth person hanged in the Plymouth Colony.”

Other details

The record included multiple additional statements about the case circumstances and interpretation:

• It stated that the record did not explain the reason for the murder.
• It stated that Alice said she had no recollection of the crime.
• It stated that when asked why she had done it, she had no answer for them.
• It stated that a descendant website attempted to answer why Alice Bishop killed her daughter Martha.
• It stated: “Severe mental illness, perhaps post-partum psychosis, is an obvious answer, but not the only one.”
• It stated that “both of Alice’s parents died when she was four years old, and she killed her daughter at the same age.”
• It stated that Richard Bishop survived his wife by nearly a quarter-century.
• It stated that Damaris Bishop grew up, married, and had three sons, and that Abigail Clark vanished from history after the mother’s execution.
• It included a statement: “ExecutedToday.com home last updates contact” as part of scraped content, with no additional factual detail about the case beyond the execution.