Great Yarmouth was home to William and Joanna Towne, whose family were caught up in the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials. They left Norfolk in 1637, settling in Salem, Massachusetts in 1640. Accused of witchcraft, two of their daughters Rebecca Nurse and Mary Easty (or Estey) were both executed. Another daughter, Sarah, was arrested on suspicion of witchcraft, but later released. She pressed charges for her unlawful arrest and the killing of her sisters, and received three gold sovereigns for each of them. The movie, Three Sovereigns For Sarah is about this event.
An engraving of the trial of two alleged witches in Salem, Massachusetts
This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.
Norfolk's American Connections 