Thomas Granger or Graunger (1625? – September 8, 1642) was one of the first people

hanged Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...

in the

Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes Plimouth) was, from 1620 to 1691, the British America, first permanent English colony in New England and the second permanent English colony in North America, after the Jamestown Colony. It was first settled by the pa ...

(the first hanged in Plymouth or in any of the colonies of New England being

John Billington John Billington (also spelled as Billinton) (c. 1580September 30, 1630) was an Englishman who travelled to the New World on the ''Mayflower'' and was one of the signers of the Mayflower Compact. In England Nothing is known about John Billingt ...

) and the first known juvenile to be sentenced to death and executed in the territory of today's

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He was a servant to

Love Brewster Elder Love Brewster () was an early American settler, the son of Elder William Brewster and his wife, Mary Brewster. He traveled with his father, mother and brother, Wrestling, on the ''Mayflower'' reaching what became the Plymouth Colony in Mas ...

, of

Duxbury Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a historic seaside town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore approximately to the southeast of Boston, the population was 16,090 at the 20 ...

, in the

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English overseas possessions, English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland (island), Newfound ...

. Graunger, at the age of 16 or 17, was convicted of " buggery with a mare, a cow, two goats, divers sheepe, two calves, and a turkey", according to court records of September 7, 1642. Graunger reportedly confessed to his crimes in court privately to local magistrates, and upon indictment, publicly to ministers and the jury, being sentenced to "death by hanging until he was dead". He was hanged by John Holmes,

Messenger of the Court In common law, a Messenger of the Court is an officer of the court whose duties include, carrying written or verbal communications and executing orders of the court. In the case of a bankruptcy court, the Messenger's duties include seizing and takin ...

, on September 8, 1642. Before Graunger's execution, following the laws set down in Leviticus 20:15 ("And if a man shall lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast"), the animals involved were slaughtered before his face and thrown into a large pit dug for their disposal, no use being made of any part of them.Chronogram.com
/ref> An account of Granger's acts is recorded in Gov. William Bradford's diary ''

Of Plymouth Plantation ''Of Plymouth Plantation'' is a journal that was written over a period of years by William Bradford, the leader of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. It is regarded as the most authoritative account of the Pilgrims and the early years of the ...

1620-1647.'' Granger's crime represents the colonies' first recorded act of bestiality.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Graunger, Thomas 1625 births 1642 deaths Zoophilia 17th-century executions of American people People executed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony People executed for sodomy Pre-statehood history of Massachusetts Plymouth County, Massachusetts People from Duxbury, Massachusetts American people convicted of sodomy

See also

Notes

References