Thomas Granger
Encyclopedia
Thomas Graunger or Granger (1625? – September 8, 1642) was the first person hanged
in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
(the first hanged in any of the colonies of New England being John Billington
) and the first known juvenile to be sentenced to death and executed in the territory of today's United States
. He was a servant to Love Brewster
, of Duxbury, in the Plymouth Colony
of British North America
. Graunger, at the age of 16 or 17, was convicted of "buggery
with a mare, a cowe, two goats, divers sheepe, two calves, and a turkey", according to court records of 7 September 1642.
Graunger 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 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.
An account of Graunger's acts is recorded in Gov. William Bradford
's diary Of Plymouth Plantation
1620-1647. Graunger's crime represents the colonies' first recorded act of bestiality.
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
(the first hanged in any of the colonies of New England being John Billington
John Billington
John Billington was an Englishman who was convicted of murder in what would become the United States, and the first to be hanged for any crime in New England. Billington was also a signer of the Mayflower Compact....
) and the first known juvenile to be sentenced to death and executed in the territory of today's United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was a servant to Love Brewster
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 Massachusetts in 1620...
, of Duxbury, in the Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
of British North America
British North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
. Graunger, at the age of 16 or 17, was convicted of "buggery
Buggery
The British English term buggery is very close in meaning to the term sodomy, and is often used interchangeably in law and popular speech. It may be, also, a specific common law offence, encompassing both sodomy and bestiality.-In law:...
with a mare, a cowe, two goats, divers sheepe, two calves, and a turkey", according to court records of 7 September 1642.
Graunger 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 on September 8, 1642. Before Graunger's execution, following the laws set down in Leviticus
Leviticus
The Book of Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, and the third of five books of the Torah ....
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.
An account of Graunger's acts is recorded in Gov. William Bradford
William Bradford (1590-1657)
William Bradford was an English leader of the settlers of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, and served as governor for over 30 years after John Carver died. His journal was published as Of Plymouth Plantation...
's diary Of Plymouth Plantation
Of Plymouth Plantation
Written over a period of years by the leader of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation is the single most complete authority for the story of the Pilgrims and the early years of the Colony they founded...
1620-1647. Graunger's crime represents the colonies' first recorded act of bestiality.