Ambrose Martin was one of the first settlers of the early colonial town of

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is n ...

. While living there, he was fined 10 pounds, a large sum for the time, for speaking out against the

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

church covenant A church covenant is a declaration, which some churches draw up and call their members to sign, in which their duties as church members towards God and their fellow believers are outlined. It is a fraternal agreement, freely endorsed, that establis ...

, stating that it was "a stinking carrion and a human invention," thus being part of one of the first recorded instances of the censure of free speech in colonial America, a freedom that later became a pillar of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...

. Martin had been unable to pay the fine in cash, so authorities seized a cow from his property and sold it for 20 pounds. The difference of 10 pounds was due to Martin, but he refused to accept it, maintaining he be repaid either the entire sum of the fine or nothing at all. Years later, when Martin and his family became financially distressed, a petition was drafted and delivered to Governor John Endecott in 1643 to return to Martin the amount of his fine. The petition was written by Reverend Peter Bulkley, and signed by Reverend John Jones and thirteen heads of families: Richard Griffin,

Simon Willard Simon Willard (April 3, 1753 – August 30, 1848) was a celebrated American clockmaker. Simon Willard clocks were produced in Massachusetts in the towns of Grafton and Roxbury, near Boston. Among his many innovations and timekeeping improvem ...

, Robert Merriam, Thomas Wheeler, George Wheeler, Robert Fletcher, Luke Potter, Joseph Wheeler, Thomas Foxe, William Busse, Henry Farwell, James Hosmer, and John Graves. On April 5, 1644, Endecott answered the petition, stating that the whole sum of 20 pounds would not be returned, however Martin was still entitled to the difference of 10 pounds, which he never claimed.Allen French, Old Concord, 191

, January 13, 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Ambrose American Puritans People from Concord, Massachusetts New England Puritanism Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown