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John
Billington was not a Pilgrim. He was part of the “Strangers”—non‑Separatists
recruited by the London merchants who financed the voyage of the Mayflower in
1620. From the moment the Mayflower left England, Billington was a problem.
William
Bradford, later governor of Plymouth, described him as “a knave,” a man prone
to defiance and disorder. His family was equally notorious: his wife Ellen was
reprimanded for slander, and his sons were involved in repeated mischief.
The
Billingtons were loud, unruly, and unwilling to submit to the colony’s leadership
Billington’s
clashes with authority escalated quickly. In 1621, he refused to obey military
orders issued by Captain Myles Standish. Billington’s refusal to comply was seen
as a direct challenge to the colony’s survival in a savage environment.
He
was arrested and nearly executed, but the colony—still fragile and desperate
for manpower—chose leniency. This would
prove a mistake.
By
1630, Plymouth had grown more stable. But
stability did not tame Billington.
That
year, he became embroiled in a feud with a young man named John Newcomen.
One day, encountering Newcomen alone, Billington raised his musket and shot
him. Newcomen died from his wounds.
Billington
was arrested and brought before the colony’s governing council, which acted as
both judge and jury.
Witnesses
testified to the shooting. Billington offered no compelling defense. The
council found him guilty of “willful murder.”
The
governor described Billington as a man who had “been a bad man” from the
beginning, whose death was the inevitable result of years of disorderly
conduct.
Billington
was sentenced to death by hanging. His execution took place in September 1630,
making him the first European settler executed in what would become the United
States.
