Saints and Armed Sentinels: Guarding New Haven's Flocks

The New Haven Colony leaders were scrupulous in both religion and security. With the ever-present risk of hostile European seafarers or nearby native groups, they would not be caught unprepared for any unforeseen threats. They embedded sturdy barricades of tightly packed logs deep into the ground, they routinely trained their militia, and all their field workers carried muskets. 

But because the settlement was staunchly religious, leaders knew their most vulnerable time for surprise attacks was during the weekly church service. On September 1, 1640, colony leaders enacted a law requiring fully armed men to take turns guarding every side of the meetinghouse every Sunday. For security inside the building, each man must have his sword at his hip at all times, during prayers, preaching, and hymn singing. 

The system had its flaws, however, so two years later a newly created law declared that “none of the watchmen shall have liberty to sleep during the watch.” New Haven court records show hearings and steep fines for guards caught napping. After William Tuttle was found sleeping on duty, he "contritely confessed” in court “and hoped that it might be for the last time." When another citizen witnessed a guard sleeping, he entered the watch house only to find the senior guard asleep in his chair, and more guards snoring on the floor. 

Despite their imperfect system, New Haven's pastor Thomas Ruggles said the security practices continued sixty years or more "for the safety, peace, and prosperity of the plantation." 

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“As a shepherd searcheth out his flock, when he hath been among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek out my sheep and will deliver them out of all places.”

(Ezekiel 34:12; 1599 Geneva Bible)

A Gruesome Coroner's Report

Rachel Ramsden of Plymouth Colony happily went on an errand for her neighbor, Alice. When she returned with the buttermilk Alice requested, there was blood on the ladder leading to a child’s sleeping loft. Four-year-old Martha was dead. The coroner’s jury reported their findings to the Plymouth Court on August 1, 1648. Alice Bishop killed her daughter.

The jury said, “We declare, that upon entering the house of Richard Bishop, we saw at the foot of a ladder... much blood.” When they climbed up to the loft, they found little Martha in her nightgown “with her throat cut..., and a bloody knife lying by the side of the child.”

In a chilling confession, Alice “confessed she did commit the aforesaid murder, and is sorry for it,” but she claimed no memory of it. She was swiftly convicted and sentenced to hang, making Alice Bishop the first woman to be executed in the colonies. The shocked community could never discover a motive.

Theories abound regarding the factors that may have contributed to Alice's actions: depression, psychosis, the Puritanical expectations of perfection, or perhaps a mother’s common stresses with all the constant physical labor in New England’s rugged frontier. Alice’s struggles may have been intensified by unresolved mourning, common among immigrants facing anxiety from the drastic changes. To this day no one knows why Martha’s young life was taken by her own mother. Two months after the jury reported their findings, Alice was hanged from the branch of a tree. 

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"So is it not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."

(Matthew 18:14; 1599 Geneva Bible)

Navigating Unauthorized Agreements

The Pilgrims stood at a crucial crossroads as they anxiously reviewed a letter from their financial backers. On July 1, 1620, only three weeks before their life-altering American journey, they were shocked to read that the Merchant Adventurers of London changed the terms of their agreement. The labor they now demanded, the extended length of the contract, and the portion of assets they would claim at the conclusion – it all seemed impossible. 

After a decade in self-exile in Holland, the desperate Pilgrims spent two years carefully planning the details of their migration. They had little bargaining room with their homes and belongings now liquidated to finance the expedition. One of the challenges during the negotiations was the lack of direct communication between the colonists in Holland and their London investors. The Pilgrims’ representatives, Robert Cushman and John Carver, had to broker the final details without consulting the Holland congregation. And Thomas Weston, the shady representative of the Merchant Adventurers, claimed that the substantial changes were essential to secure the funds. 

Though they wanted the best possible terms for their fellow Pilgrims, Cushman and Carver were aware of another looming reality; the longer they put off their transatlantic journey the more they risked arriving in the unforgiving winter of the rugged New World, far from any assistance. Caught in the web of negotiations, with reluctant investors and a fast-approaching departure date, the Pilgrims felt they had no choice but to accept the new agreement. 

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“He that hateth, will counterfeit with his lips, but in his heart he layeth up deceit. Though he speak favorably, believe him not.”

(Proverbs 26:24-25; 1599 Geneva Bible) 

Mary Dyer Sentenced to Death – Again.

In 1635 Mary and William Dyer sailed from England to America. Within a few years, the two conservative Puritans began shifting their religious views. They were drawn toward the controversial antinomian movement, downplaying the importance of outward morality and giving prominence to God's loving forgiveness instead.

After spending a few more years again in England, Mary returned to America as a Quaker. Their emphasis on a direct relationship with God, even receiving messages from him apart from the Bible or ministers, was anathema to the Puritans. Colony leaders created strict laws against Quakerism to prevent the heresy from spreading.

When Mary came back to Boston, they immediately arrested her and ordered her to leave. She refused, denouncing their harsh religious laws. In 1659 she was sent to the gallows, but while the noose was around her neck, she was given a reprieve and forced out of the colony. Enraged all the more by the torturous punishments given to fellow Quakers, Mary returned with a vengeance and was again arrested and sentenced to death.

Standing on the ladder, with a noose around her neck, people begged her to reconsider her views. Instead, Mary reprimanded the leaders for such immoral laws, declaring that she could not recant but would remain obedient to God's will and "abide faithful to the death." Unable to sway her, on June 1, 1660, the ladder was removed and Mary Dyer hung until she died. Soon after, the colony began reevaluating its laws regarding the Quakers. 

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“He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requireth of thee: surely to do justly, and to love mercy, and to humble thyself, to walk with thy God.”

(Micah 6:8; 1599 Geneva Bible)

Heresy and Violence of the Governor’s Wife

Anne Eaton harbored doubts about the Puritan tradition of infant baptism. She read a book on the topic and discreetly shared it with other women, without disclosing her thoughts to her husband or church leaders. Later, Anne began to leave church services during baptism ceremonies or occasionally skipped church altogether. When asked about her odd behavior, Anne boldly said she had questions about Puritan teachings.

Pastor John Davenport responded with sermons advocating for infant baptism, yet Anne remained unconvinced. She even contradicted Davenport while he was preaching. When the pastor and church leaders held private discussions with her at home, she defiantly sat in stony silence. 

Doctrinal issues were set aside when more severe charges emerged. Reports surfaced of Anne's violent and scandalous behavior, with repeated violations of four of the Ten Commandments. The Pastor publicly listed seventeen charges, supported by multiple witnesses who claimed Anne had assaulted both servants and family members, resorting to striking, pinching, pulling, and grabbing them. She gave one person a black eye and another a bloody nose. Anne vehemently accused them of lying, stealing, immorality, and even cursing her beer. On one occasion, she slapped her mother-in-law at the kitchen table right before her husband.

There were growing suspicions that Pastor Davenport was too lenient with Anne because her husband, Theophilus Eaton, was not only the colony's governor, but also Davenport's lifelong friend. Therefore, on May 20, 1645, the church finally voted, and Anne Eaton, wife of New Haven's governor, was excommunicated. 

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“Moreover, if thy brother trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast won thy brother. But if he hear thee not, take yet with thee one or two, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be confirmed. And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the Church: and if he refuse to hear the Church also, let him be unto thee as an heathen man, and a Publican."

(Matthew 18:15-17; 1599 Geneva Bible)

Pastor John Davenport of New Haven, CT

The Wreck of the Cursed Little James

In 1623, the ship Little James set off from England with more supplies and immigrants for Plymouth Colony. Immediately the young Captain Altham faced challenges. After a one-week delay in the fog, the food supplies began spoiling. The crew blamed passenger John Jenney for neglecting the provisions, as he was busy with his pregnant wife who later gave birth on the voyage. 

The crew was further angered when the captain refused to plunder a nearby French vessel. After a slow, grueling voyage, the Little James finally arrived in Plymouth on August 5, 1623. The agitated crew protested their contract and refused to cooperate with their superiors, so Plymouth's Governor Bradford promised their pay to maintain peace. 

Come springtime, while the Little James was on a fishing assignment, the crew mutinied, forcing the captain off the ship to retrieve food supplies. On April 10, 1624, as Captain Altham returned with provisions, a furious storm slammed the ship against the rocks. The shipmaster John Bridges drowned, two crewmembers were killed, and all cargo was lost.

After costly repairs, the Little James was returned to England to recoup financial losses. Three years later, just south of England, the James was captured by pirates. The cargo was stolen and the shipmaster and crew were sold into slavery. Nothing is heard of the Little James after that. 

Looking back on the misfortune of the James, William Bradford wrote, "I fear the Adventurers did over-pride themselves in her, for she had ill success."

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“Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold sorrow? for spoiling, and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.”

(Habakkuk 1:3; 1599 Geneva Bible)

The Plymouth and Wampanoag Treaty

After European plagues decimated the population of the Wampanoags, Chief Massasoit was eager for an alliance that would help regain their prominence with neighboring tribes, especially the powerful Narragansetts. As for the Pilgrims, they longed to secure peace and security as soon as possible for the place that would be their home. On April 1, 1621, Massasoit and Governor Bradford signed a treaty.  

The Wampanoags would do no harm to the Plymouth colonists, and if such a thing happened the offender would be delivered to Plymouth leaders for punishment. 

If a colonist or Wampanoag stole something from the other party, the item would be returned. 

The Wampanoags and colonists would defend each other against unjust attacks by other groups. 

Massasoit would inform neighboring tribes of the treaty to help encourage peace with the colonists. 

When the Wampanoags and colonists visited each other, they would leave their weapons behind. 

Finally, the Pilgrims promised that England's King James would consider Massasoit a friend and ally. 

This treaty may be at the center of what Americans call the “first Thanksgiving” – the harvest feast held at Plymouth colony with their Wampanoag neighbors. One of the Pilgrims’ activities during the feast was target shooting with their muskets. Soon after the loud musket cracks echoed over the land, Massasoit arrived with ninety men. Learning that there was no attack against the colony, he sent out a hunting party that quickly returned with five deer to add to the three-day feast. 

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“If it be possible, as much as in you is, have peace with all men.”

(Romans 12:18; 1599 Geneva Bible)