Speculative Google AI Generated Image Speculative Google AI Generated Image of first duel in Plymouth Colony between Edward Doty & Edward Leister with swords and daggers c1621
Before launching into decades of dysfunction in the new world, the story of our 9th Great Grandfather, Edward DOTY, begins in obscurity. Born in London, England, around 1599, he stepped aboard the Mayflower in 1620 as a 21 year old young man bound as an indentured servant to Stephen Hopkins. While he was merely an impoverished laborer at the time, his signing of the Mayflower Compact1, alongside prominent passengers like Richard WARREN, signaled the arrival of a defiant, litigious rogue ready to make Plymouth Colony his personal battleground.
When history recalls the passengers of the Mayflower, it usually conjures images of pious, austere Puritans seeking religious freedom. However, the early Plymouth Colony was also populated by secular individuals, laborers, and indentured servants who frequently clashed with the colony’s strict moral and legal codes. Among the most notoriously contentious of these individuals was Edward Doty. Doty quickly established a reputation for criminality, aggression, and disruptive behavior. His extensive record in the Plymouth Court offers a fascinating window into the turbulent underbelly of America’s foundational settlement.
Doty’s penchant for trouble manifested within a year of arrival. In June 1621, he secured an infamous place in American history by participating in New England’s first recorded duel. Doty and fellow servant Edward Leister engaged in a violent clash using swords and daggers, leaving both men wounded.2 Modern lore mistakenly claims that the pair were thrown into the colony’s wooden stocks. However, the actual sentence issued by the Puritan authorities was a far more excruciating positional torture: they were condemned to have their heads and feet tied tightly together3 (“neck and heels”) for twenty-four hours without food or drink. Though their master successfully begged for their early release after just one hour due to their severe pain, this agonizing display set a permanent tone for Doty’s life in the colony.
As Doty gained his freedom and accumulated land4 , his physical brawling transitioned into a relentless pattern of legal combat. Over a twenty-year period, his name appeared in the Plymouth Colony Court Records5 more than twenty-three times. He was a frequent defendant and plaintiff in cases ranging from civil misconduct to criminal infractions. His quick temper led to multiple arrests for breaking the peace, trespass, and assault and battery. In 1634, he was fined for drawing blood in a fight with Josiah Cooke, and a few years later, he was fined again for a violent assault against his brother-in-law George Clarke.
Beyond physical aggression, Doty engaged in fraudulent financial behavior that routinely dragged his fellow colonists into legal quagmires. A prime example of his courtroom combativeness occurred on May 3, 1642, involving the harvest dispute with Samuel STURTEVANT. Doty had entered into a business contract with Sturtevant regarding the 1641 corn crop. True to form, Doty failed to uphold his end of the bargain, forcing the frustrated Sturtevant to make his very first appearance in the Plymouth Colony records6 just to sue Doty for breach of contract. Court documents reveal this was part of a broader dishonest streak, featuring regular charges of slander, theft, and “deceitful bargains” regarding land fraud.
This domestic friction extended deeply into his personal life following his marriage to 16-year-old immigrant Faith CLARKE on January 6, 1635. The marriage permanently forced Edward Doty into close proximity with Faith’s family, resulting in predictable chaos. Unable to separate his private life from his litigious impulses, Doty repeatedly ended up in court over legal spats and physical altercations with his father-in-law, Thurston CLARKE, and his brother-in-law, George Clarke. These highly personal squabbles turned family dynamics into public record, proving that Doty was just as combative with his in-laws as he was with neighbors.
These constant legal battles highlight the incredibly intimate, claustrophobic nature of the early settlement. When Doty acquired land on the “Duxburrow side” and along the North River, his immediate neighborly proximity to John FOBES and John PABODIE turned private grievances into community affairs. In such a small frontier society, boundaries were tightly shared, and cattle routinely wandered loose to destroy local crops. Because Doty was a notoriously difficult neighbor who refused to cooperate, men like John Pabodie—who regularly served on the Plymouth grand juries—were repeatedly forced to step in, sit on panels, and legally regulate Doty’s chaotic behavior just to maintain local peace.7
Ultimately, Edward Doty was not a hardened criminal by modern standards, as his offenses never warranted severe physical punishments like branding, whipping, or execution. Instead, he was a volatile, litigious, and stubbornly uncooperative frontier rogue. While his rebellious behavior constantly threatened the fragile social order of Plymouth Colony, he survived the hardships of the New World, drafted a final will in 1655,8 and left behind a massive lineage. His life serves as a vibrant reminder that the cradle of American colonization was built not just by saintly pilgrims, but also by deeply flawed, rebellious, and disruptive men.
Following his death in August 1655, the true anchor of Doty’s legacy became his wife, Faith CLARKE. Left to helm a sprawling estate at “High Cliffe,” Faith assumed a vital, resilient role in the colony as an independent matriarch, masterfully navigating Plymouth’s strict legal system to preserve her family’s land and inheritance for over a decade. Her stability tamed the chaotic wake left by her late husband, ensuring the survival of their nine children. Through Faith’s endurance and the sheer size of their household, Doty’s wild bloodline transformed into one of the most prolific in American history. Generations of his descendants moved northward into Marshfield and beyond—marrying into prominent early settler lines like the OAKMAN, HATCH, and LITTLE families, proving that while Doty spent his life fracturing the peace of Plymouth, his enduring progeny would help build the very bedrock of New England.
Edward DOTY and Faith CLARKE are not the only direct ancestors in this story. Thurston CLARK is Faith’s father, our 10th Great Grandfather. The legal battles with the neighbors Samuel STURTEVANT & John FOBES are both 8th Great Grandfathers whilst John PABODIE & Richard WARREN are 9th Great Grandfathers. Our direct line is as follows:
We have six documented Mayflower ancestors in the family tree but expect more will emerge as the research continues. To read more about other Mayflower ancestors, try the following posts:
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