Dudley Bradstreet

Dudley Bradstreet (1648 – 13 November 1702) was an American magistrate who served as the Justice of the Peace of Andover, Massachusetts during the Salem Witch Trials.

Early life Bradstreet was born in 1648 to Simon Bradstreet and Anne Dudley Bradstreet in Cambridge, Massachusetts, moving to Andover as an infant. He served as a colonel in the colonial militia, a Deputy to the General Court of Massachusetts, and in the Massachusetts Governor's Council from 1698 until 1702.

Salem Witch Trials During the Salem Witch Trials, Bradstreet was Justice of the Peace for Andover. He issued warrants for the arrest and imprisonment of forty-eight suspected "witches", after which he refused to issue any more. As a result, Bradstreet and his wife, Anne, were accused of witchcraft and forced to flee the area.

Personal life

He was the fifth son of Governor Simon Bradstreet and his wife, the poet Anne Dudley Bradstreet. Anne's father, Thomas Dudley, was also Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Death He died on 13 November 1702 in Andover.