John Billington (c. 1580 – September 30, 1630) was an Englishman[1] 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.
Billington came to the Plymouth Colony on the famous voyage of the Mayflower in 1620 with his wife and two sons. He soon made enemies with many aboard the ship. He was known as a "foul mouthed miscreant" and "knave".[2] He was not a member of the separatist Brownist congregation that dominated the colony's life, but had fled England to escape creditors. His sons were also seen as troublemakers, as one or both of them set a fire next to one of the powder keg reserves, which caught fire and could have sunk the ship before it reached its destination. One of his sons got separated from the colonists and was taken care of by the Native Americans over the winter; he returned in the Spring.
In March 1621, Billington was convicted of contempt for insulting Captain Myles Standish. His punishment was to have his heels tied to his neck. Billington apologized profusely and was spared from the penalty.[3]
In 1624, Billington became a follower of the Reverend John Lyford, who was banished from Plymouth Colony in 1625 for being a danger to the community. Though Billington was nearly convicted as Lyford's accomplice, he was permitted to remain in Plymouth Colony.
In September 1630, after a heated argument over hunting rights, Billington fatally shot fellow colonist John Newcomen in the shoulder with a blunderbuss. After counseling with Governor John Winthrop, Governor William Bradford concluded that capital punishment was the necessary penalty. Billington was convicted of murder and hanged at Plymouth, Massachusetts. The inland pond known as Billington Sea was named after his son, Francis.[4] Governor William Bradford's account of Billington's hanging was included in The Library of America's 2008 anthology True Crime.
Some believe the Billingtons were wrongly accused or treated because of John Billington, Sr's beliefs and outspoken nature. From American families from New Plymouth, 1620-1790+: The Billingtons were not in sympathy with the aims and tenets of the Plymouth Church, but one wonders that they were not more cooperative with those in authority who heavy-handily struggled to establish and maintain such a fragile colony on the hostile shores of New England. John Billington, however, stoutly supported individual choice and freedom of speech, raising the voice of America's first 'opposition' to governing authority, undoubtedly at great personal sacrifice, when he disagreed with the rule of government. He and his descendants surely have contributed to that integral part of the American character by having the courage to say no. The recap of the events of Billington's life and the ultimate death of Newcomen were made by William Bradford, a longtime opponent of John Billington.