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Born in England, William and Mary Dyer (c.1611 - 1660), emigrated to Boston in 1635. They became followers of Anne Hutchinson and were drawn into the "antinomian" heresy. Expelled from the Massachuestts Bay Colony by the Puritan elders, the Hutchinson group became the 'first planters' in Rhode Island and had initial contact with the local Narragansett Indians.
When visiting London to secure their land grant charter with Parliament in 1650, Mary became a Quaker. Upon her return to Massachusetts, she was twice expelled; on the third time, she was hanged on Boston Common for being a Quaker. Historians credit her death with establishing the basis for religious freedom subsequently granted in our Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution. A statue of her stands in front of the State House in Boston.
Selected Performance Sites:
Smith's Castle Preservation Trust, Wickford (RI), May 05 through present
Worcester Friends Meetinghouse, November 05
Sandwich (MA) Friends Meetinghouse, June 04
Roger Williams National Park Site, Providence (RI), May 04
Watertown Historical Society, March 04
Roger Williams National Park Site, Providence (RI), May 03
Discovering Justice Courthouse Program, U.S. Federal Courthouse, Boston, March 03
Tiverton (RI) Four Corners Arts Center, August 02
Cambridge Peace Commission, Lesley University, July 02
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Cambridge, June 02
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Boston, November 01
Pembroke Historical Society, May 00
Winchester Public Library, May 00
South Dartmouth (MA) Friends Meeting, July 99
Cambridge Friends School, May 99
Plympton Historical Society, April 99
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