Andover Bewitched: Three Sovereigns for Sarah

"Three Sovereigns for Sara" originally aired on PBS American Playhouse in 1985. It remains one of the most accurate portrayals of the horrors of the witch hysteria and trials.

Andover Bewitched writer Toni Armstrong will be back in two weeks with her next story. In the meantime, we’d like to share the PBS American Playhouse series Three Sovereigns for Sarah, for a film version of the trials. The program, starring Vanessa Redgrave as Sarah Cloyce, originally aired in 1985. It remains one of the most accurate portrayals of the horrors of the trials.

Summary of Three Sovereigns for Sarah,

This is a true story based on transcripts of the Salem Witch Trials. Sarah (Vanessa Redgrave) and her two sisters are put on trial for suspicion of witchcraft…Hundreds are accused and sent to jail, though there are many who doubt the truth of the accusations. Among these are three sisters, Mary, Rebecca, and Sarah. All are kept in jail for quite some time, until Mary and Rebecca are found guilty, though they pleaded innocent. They are hanged, and due to over crowding, Sarah is sent to a farm until her hearing. She is kept in utter isolation in a chicken coop, getting very sick and lonely, until family comes to save her. The story is told to a court 10 years later by Sarah, wanting to clear the family name. Though they can not immediately decide on guilt, or give her compensation, the three judges do give Sarah 3 symbolic sovereigns, one for each of the lives that had suffered.

The series is available on many streaming services including AppleTV, YouTube Premium, Amazon Prime, and GooglePlay. Your local library might have DVDs available as well.

For those who like “behind the scenes” stories, you can read Historian on the set Robert Trask’s article about the filming of the program.

Thanks for reading (and maybe watching)! Toni will be back in two weeks with the next installment of Andover Bewitched.
~Elaine