So, it’s the 381st anniversary of a frankly unpleasant historical moment: the first execution of a ‘juvenile’ in what became the United States. Mind you, Thomas Granger, 16 or 17 at the time, had confessed to shagging a turkey — among other things.
The whole thing’s quite nasty, really, so please feel free not to read on.
The only light relief is that Love Brewster, founder of Bridgewater, Plymouth County, had a brother called Wrestling. And a son called Wrestling. And a grandson called Wrestling. Wrestling Brewster.
According to the thrill ride that is The Brewster Genealogy 1566–1907, Love also had sisters called Patience and Fear. And a great grandson, a great-great grandson, and a great-great-great grandson all called Wrestling Brewster.
Anyway, Love Brewster was “an honest man of Duxbury” who had a servant named Thomas Granger or Graunger “being about 16 or 17 years of age”, according to William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation: 1620–1647.
CHAPTER XXXII
Anno Dom: 1642 [Wickedness Breaks Forth]
Marvelous it may be to see and consider how some kind of wick- edness did grow and break forth here, in a land where the same was so much witnessed against and so narrowly looked unto, and severely punished when it was known, as in no place more, or so much, that I have known or heard of; insomuch that they have been somewhat censured even by moderate and good men for their severity in punishments. And yet all this could not suppress the breaking out of sundry notorious sins (as this year, besides other, gives us too many sad precedents and instances), especially drunkenness and uncleanness. Not only incontinency between persons unmarried, for which many both men and women have been punished sharply enough, but some married persons also. But that which is worse, even sodomy and buggery (things fearful to name) have broke forth in this land oftener than once.
Bradford was the leader of the Plymouth Colony, and presumably* happily records no crime at all for the first 22 years. (*Sorry, but there’s no way I’m ploughing my way through all 500+ pages to find out definitively.)
But then…
So, he was caught with the horse, and asked for numerous other offences to be taken into consideration. One wonders what sort of… persuasion they used. Anyway, Bradford ‘forbears particulars’ of the crime, but not the punishment:
Yes, there was no way anyone was eating those particular animals, which caused a bit of a problem with the ‘divers sheepe’.
Which presumably means that when they asked him which sheep, he said “the pretty ones”, and that didn’t help them narrow it down, so they brought them all before him one by one — which raises the possibility that he misdirected them to save the ones he loved.
Look, I did tell you this was horrid. Anyway, Granger had committed the colonies’ first (recorded) act of bestiality, so they asked him where on earth he’d got such a ghastly idea, and he
Well, the English, eh? What can you expect?
There’s more on this subject, if you can stomach it, here. You’re all very welcome:
…or, if you want something more refined and highbrow, it’s the 519th anniversary of the unveiling of Michelangelo’s David, so you may enjoy this fact about the big feller:
