Guest Post: Jack-Boots and Broken Windows

Over the next few days, I will be featuring the work of several talented undergraduates who have agreed to have their research projects featured as guest posts. The papers are longer than normal posts, but I thought that readers of this blog might be interested in reading more about Revolutionary-era Boston. All formatting errors are mine — I lost some details (such as italics) in the transfer from Word to Blogger.


Today's guest poster is Allan Bradley, who used John Boyle's journal to examine popular resistance to the Stamp Act.

On the night of November 5th, 1764, rough Boston maritime workers divided into two mobs, the North End and the South End, and each built a cart carrying an effigy of the Pope. After darkness fell, they engaged in a violent battle, each side attempting to steal the other’s cart and effigy.  After half an hour of combat with clubs, staves, and brick-bats, the South End captured the North End’s effigy and burned both on Boston Neck.  It was a yearly ritual; each November 5th, the Pope met the same fiery fate at the hands of the working men of Boston, who fought for the privilege of burning the effigy of that hated enemy to English liberty.  Pope’s Day of 1764 was particularly violent, and a young printer’s apprentice named John Boyle recorded in his journal: “A Child of Mr. Brown’s at the North-End run over by one of the Wheels of the North-End Pope and killed on the Spot.  Many others were wounded in the evening.” [1]

John Boyle's God

Cross-posted at American Creation. I hashed some of this out in earlier posts here.

Much of the discussion on this blog concerns the personal faith of the political leaders who shaped the American government in the 18th century. Today, I’d like to offer a short peek into the mind of an ordinary citizen and how he understood God’s role in the political process.

The man: John Boyle (1746-1819), printer of newspapers and books in Boston.* Boyle was highly literate, but not a college-educated man. He worked as a printer’s apprentice for John Green, publisher of the Boston Post-Boy, later going into partnership with Richard Draper at the Massachusetts Gazette. From 1759 until 1778, he kept a diary that reported on the news around Boston, running 1500 entries and chronicling events such as the Boston Massacre, Lexington and Concord, and the occupation and siege of Boston. Boyle, a staunch supporter of the Whig/patriot/revolutionary cause, may have been a participant in some of these incidents. (Note: I am currently transcribing and annotating this diary.)

Boyle does not often discuss his religious beliefs in the diary, though his admiration of Rev. George Whitefield may provide some clues. He rarely mentions God or "Providence” explicitly, even at moments of great significance, such as the death of his wife. Although he occasionally mentions church news (appointment of a new minister, building of a new church, etc.), he does not invoke a personal deity or record any of his personal musings on religion in this journal. The only prayers he mentions are the opening prayers at town meetings. Judging by his strict attention to recording their proceedings, Boyle found town meetings more meaningful (or at least more journal-worthy) than church.

Yet, Boyle’s diary does indicate a belief in an active and intervening God. This God is firmly aligned with John Boyle’s politics and can be relied upon to punish Boyle’s political opponents. In fact, practically the only times when Boyle mentions or implies a belief in an active God are times when that God is either protecting Americans from British soldiers or exacting revenge on Loyalists/Tories.

On February 22, 1766, Boyle wrote about the Massachusetts House of Representatives’ decision to censure Brigadier General Timothy Ruggles (president of the Stamp Act Congress) for failing to sign an Anti-Stamp Act petition. Boyle had never mentioned Ruggles before, but a mere six entries later, the General shows up again:

Brigadier General Ruggles of Hardwick, being with some Men who were falling some Trees, one of the Trees falling sooner than expected, struck the Brigadier before he could get out of the Way, whereby he was greatly bruised, and had several of his Ribs broke, also one of his Arms in two places.

A comparable fate befell Andrew Oliver, the Stamp Commissioner. In 1765, a mob of Bostonians ransacked Oliver’s house, but did not destroy it. According to Boyle’s diary, the work was completed by a higher power:

This Evening (Saturday) between 11 and 12 o'Clock, a terrible Tempest arose, attended with the severest Thunder and Lightning that has been known for many years. It lasted very violent for about two hours but thro' the Goodness of Divine Providence, no Damage was done in this Town, except to the Dwelling-House of Lieut. Govr. Oliver, which was struck with Lightning and considerably shattered.

Of course, if the “Goodness of Divine Providence” shielded the rest of Boston from the storm, the implication is that Oliver did not enjoy that protection.

In addition to these precision strikes, Providence looked after Whig-leaning Bostonians with more impressive gestures. During the occupation of Boston, Boyle commented on a storm off of Newfoundland, exaggerating the number of dead and identifying them as potential occupiers:

. . . 4000 Persons were lost in the several Harbours of Newfoundland, who had nearly compleated their fishing Voyages. Most of them belonged to Great Britain, and intended to inlist in the Regular Service when their Fares were finished.

On August 9, 1775, “the Almighty” performed his greatest act of protection, shielding the people of Massachusetts from British attacks:

[Captain Lindzey] immediately fired a Broadside upon the thickest Settlements [in Gloucester], and stood himself with diabolical pleasure to See what havoc his Cannon might make, “Now, (said he) my Boys, we will aim at the damn’d Presbyterian Church — Well, my brave Fellows, one Shot more and the house of God will fall before you.” While he was thus venting his hellish Rage, and setting himself as it were against heaven, the Almighty was on our side, not a Ball struck or wounded a single Person, although they went right thro’ the houses in almost every direction when filled with Women and Children; under God, our little Party at the Water-side performed Wonders, for they soon made themselves masters of [the attacking force].

What is most striking about Boyle’s “Gott mit uns” attitude is how quickly he adopted a definition of “us” that included only his political allies. Only a few years earlier, Boyle was writing rapturous entries about “our most gracious Sovereign King George the second” and “our” military victories in Canada. By 1775, not only were Tory Bostonians “enemies,” but the ordinary fishermen of Newfoundland “belonged to Great Britain” and were smite-worthy. In the Gloucester passage above, there’s a lot of “our little party” and “our side” where “we” are Massachusetts residents who supported the revolution, even if they were Presbyterians rather than Congregationalists.

John Boyle is not generally considered to be one of our “Founding Fathers,” unless we take that term to mean all members of the revolutionary generation. He was not a politician or a jurist or a philosopher. He was just a regular guy who had some minor influence because he helped run a newspaper in an important urban center at a time of crisis.

Still, I think that Boyle’s view of Providential interference in politics is pertinent to the discussion on this blog. His diary does not indicate a preoccupation with religious questions — Boyle is no Cotton Mather practicing “daily dying” or devout parishioner reflecting on the weekly sermons in his journal — but an active God is clearly present in his worldview. I have not gotten the impression that Boyle spent much time investigating the theology of political liberty or the relationship between natural and Biblical law. He believed in a God who was on his side, but that is about it, as far as I can tell.

I find John Boyle’s religious outlook so interesting because he clearly believed in God, but did not lead a God-centered life. In that way, he seems like a lot of semi-apathetic Christians today — he went to church and saw God at work in his life from time to time but did not attribute his everyday experiences to the influence of a higher power nor probe the philosophical underpinnings of his beliefs. In dozens of entries, he recounts the early struggles against British political and military interference as a matter of practical, immediate necessity, not as a great struggle to enact abstract principles. In Boyle’s in-the-trenches view, the founding of America was not necessarily a Christian mission, but the project did have a supernatural ally.

*Note: The accompanying image is of a broadside containing Philis Wheatley's elegaic poem to George Whitefield, which was sold (and possibly printed) by John Boyle.

John Boyle: Gossip Columnist

Over a third of the entries in John Boyle's diary are death announcements. These are generally fairly sparse: name, age, family connections, sometimes cause of death. Once in a while, though, Boyle adds a little extra zing. Here's his entry for June 12, 1766:

Died aged about 70, Mr. John Walker, formerly a noted Merchant lately a noted Miser He has left a great Estate to one of his illegitimate Offspring.

"He'll Gitcha"

Every time I read one of John Boyle's thinly-veiled celebrations over the providential misfortunes of his political enemies, I think of the video of the little girl who says, "Don't talk back to Darth Vader, he'll gitcha."


Maybe God isn't Darth Vader, but in this diary, he's certainly in the "gitcha" business. John Boyle's God is aligned with John Boyle's politics and regularly brings his wrath down on the heads of Boyle's political opponents. He sends lightning to destroy Andrew Oliver's house and hurricanes to drown thousands of potential British army recruits.

In April of 1766, Providence came looking for Brigadier General Timothy Ruggles. Ruggles' transgression: as president of the 1765 Stamp Act Congress, he refused to endorse the anti-Stamp Act petitions that the group sent to the King and Parliament (years later, Ruggles' Tory sympathies made it necessary for him to flee to Nova Scotia).

In February of 1766, the Massachusetts legislature formally censured Ruggles for "Neglect of Duty." The Boston Post Boy (Boyle's paper) covered the story:

Boyle himself mentioned the Ruggles affair in his diary on February 22nd:

A Congress of Deputies from the several American Colonies met at New-York in October last, and petitioned the King, Lords, and Commons, severally, for a Repeal of the Stamp-Act. The Deputies on the part of this Govt. were Brigadier Genl. Ruggles, of Hardwick, James Otis, Esqr. of Boston, and Oliver Partridge, Esqr. of Hatfield. On the 12th. Instant, Brigadier Ruggles was reprimanded by the House of Representatives for neglect of Duty at said Congress, particularly in refusing to sign the Petitions The Conduct of the other two Gentlemen was approved of. 

Boyle had never mentioned Ruggles before, but six entries later, the General shows up again:

Brigadier General Ruggles of Hardwick, being with some Men who were falling some Trees, one of the Trees falling sooner than expected, struck the Brigadier before he could get out of the Way, whereby he was greatly bruised, and had several of his Ribs broke, also one of his Arms in two places.

As in his comments about the destruction of Oliver's house, Boyle did not explicitly attribute Ruggles' injuries to divine retribution, but it's impossible to overlook his insinuations. In Boyle's mind, God's creation is allied with the Whig cause. Lukewarm patriots, beware!

"the Glorious and never to be forgotten 14th"

On August 14, 1765, citizens of Boston took to the streets to protest the Stamp Act. John Boyle described the crowd and its actions in his diary:

The Stamp-Act having occasioned a general Uneasiness among the People, this Morning the Effigies of Andrew Oliver, Esqr. the Stamp-Officer, and Lord Bute, the supposed Instigater of the Act, were discovered hanging on the Great-Trees at the So. part of the Town, (one of which Trees is hencforth to be called Liberty-Tree). The report of the Images soon spread thro' the Town, bro't a vast Number of Spectators, and a spirit of Patriotism diffused itself through the whole Concourse. About Sun-set set the Images were taken down, placed on a Bier, supported in Procession by 6 Men, followed by a great Concourse of People, some of the highest Reputation, and in the greatest order. They proceeded thro' the Town, down King-Street, from thence to Oliver's dock, where an Edifice was erected for the Use of a Stamp-Office, which they speedily levelled to the ground; then taking up the pieces of broken timber upon their shoulders, they proceeded with the Effigies to the Top of Fort-Hill, where a Fire was enkindled and the Images consumed amidst the Acclamations of Thousands of Spectators. After which they pulled down the Garden Fence of Mr. Oliver, the Stamp-Officer, entered his House, drank some of his Wine, and broke some of his Windows. They would not have entered his House had it not been from some irritating Language from those within.

From this account, it is difficult to tell whether Boyle himself took part in the protests or learned of them from those who did. Since Boyle maintains a journalistic distance even when writing about his own marriage ("Married, Mr. John Boyle, Printer and Stationer, aged 25, to Miss Caelia Gay, aged 20, Daughr. of Capt. Martin Gay"), I think that it is possible that he participated in the crowd action.

In later years, Boyle habitually noted the anniversary of the 14th in his diary, calling it, "the Glorious and never to be forgotten 14th." Each year, the Sons of Liberty held a celebration to commemorate the day:

The Fourteenth Day of August 1765 Celebrated by Sons of Liberty in Boston. At eleven o'Clock great Numbers of them assembled at Liberty-Hall, where a Number of Patriotic Toasts were drank. After which they proceeded to the Grey-hound in Roxbury, two in a Chaise, to the Number of about 300, where an Elegant dinner was provided; and about 6 o'Clock return'd to town, and passing in slow orderly procession, thro' the principal Streets, and round the State-House, they retired to their respective dwellings.

The 1773 anniversary was memorable for its humorous mishaps, while the 10th anniversary saw Boyle narrowly escape death at the hands of the occupying army:

[W]hile coming through Roxbury Street, a great Number of Cannon were discharged from Gage's outermost Lines on Boston Neck, some of the Balls (24 Pounders) came very near us — one Man being near our Horses was wounded in the Head — A Bomb which was thrown came directly over our Heads, fell about two Rods to the right of us, stuck in the Ground and broke, the explosion of which so frightened my Horse that he threw me off, but happily I received no hurt.

As it turns out, the 14th of August has indeed been forgotten, but only because it has been replaced by other significant anniversaries (notably April 19th). Those who do celebrate August 14th generally remember it as the end of World War II (Rhode Island, Hawaii, and a few towns in Connecticut still recognize VJ Day, though they don't call it that), rather than as the day when the Sons of Liberty held their banquets. I think it's silly to govern by speculating on the thoughts and intentions of the founding fathers, but I can't help but wonder about them in a more informal way. What might those Sons of Liberty have thought if they knew that 180 years later, the country they helped start would be a military superpower capable of blowing away whole cities in a single instant? The contrast between the anniversaries really brings home to me the intimate scale of the Revolution — pulling down Mr. Oliver's fence, someone shouting insults from inside the house, a frightened horse on a narrow road — compared with the modern scales of warfare and politics.

(Teapot image via the National Museum of American History. I own a reproduction of this teapot — it was a wedding gift from an archaeologist friend.)

Divine Providence

On this date in 1772, a violent storm struck Boston. In his diary, John Boyle implies that the storm was a divine judgment against Andrew Oliver, the Lieutenant Governor and former Stamp Act Officer:

This Evening (Saturday) between 11 and 12 o'Clock, a terrible Tempest arose, attended with the severest Thunder and Lightning that has been known for many years. It lasted very violent for about two hours but thro' the Goodness of Divine Providence, no Damage was done in this Town, except to the Dwelling-House of Lieut. Govr. Oliver, which was struck with Lightning and considerably shattered.

Although he doesn't make his interpretation explicit, Boyle often made cryptic remarks about the weather that implied a belief in omens/providential interventions. For example, during the British occupation of Boston, Boyle commented on a storm off of Newfoundland, exaggerating the number of dead and identifying them as potential occupiers:

. . . 4000 Persons were lost in the several Harbours of Newfoundland, who had nearly compleated their fishing Voyages. Most of them belonged to Great Britain, and intended to inlist in the Regular Service when their Fares were finished.

Boyle had no love for Oliver. His account of the assault on Oliver's house on August 14, 1765 was one of the first entries to reveal Boyle's strong Whig leanings. Until that time, Bole was a typical, loyal subject, celebrating British victories in Canada and writing long, admiring passages about the British Royals. It's possible that Boyle was just reporting the news of the day when he wrote about the lightning that struck Andrew Oliver's house, but it's difficult to imagine that he had forgotten the events of 1765. Perhaps there is not enough evidence to prove that Boyle interpreted the lightning strike as God finishing the work that the protesters had begun seven years earlier, but I would argue that he was thinking something along those lines.

Next Thursday, I'll be writing about the Glorious 14th of August, when a Boston mob (or crowd, whatever you want to call it) destroyed the Stamp Office and invaded Oliver's house.

The Boston Coffee Party

On this date in 1777, John Boyle wrote the following entry in his journal:

A Female Riot. — About 100 Women from the North-Part of the Town, getting information of a Quanty. of Coffee being in the Store of Thos. Boylston, Esqr. which he refused to sell at the regulated Price, attacked him in King-Street, and demanded the Keys of his Store, which he refusing to deliver, they immediately placed him in a Cart, and threatened to Cart him out of Town, upon which he delivered them the Keys. — A Committee was appointed to keep him Custody while the Body was employed in getting the Coffee out of the Store, which they speedily effected, and went off with their booty.

This incident is better known from a letter written by Abigail Adams a week later. In 1990, Doreen Rappaport made the riot the subject of a charming children's book called The Boston Coffee Party. This was one of my very favorite books when I was in elementary school and I used it very successfully with my own second grade students.

In fact, I recommend all of the books in this series, including Sam the Minute Man, George the Drummer Boy, and The Long Way to a New Land. When I taught second grade, we had to use scripted curricula in all subjects (it was a Title 1 district and a Reading First school), but I had a little bit of wiggle room to add supplementary lessons during the English Language Development block. I tried to devise history units that focused on the historical experiences of children, and these books were great. The vocabulary is simple enough that a seven-year-old can read it on his or her own, but the issues raised are meaty. The Boston Coffee Party is my favorite because food riots are near and dear to my heart and because the protagonists are girls.

Other recommendations for introducing K-3 kids to history:

Nettie's Trip South: A young girl accompanies her journalist brother on a trip through the South just before the Civil War. There, she witnesses scenes of slavery and tries to understand them. The pictures in this book are black-and-white, so they may not grab the attention of all children. Be careful when reading this book with young children — I had several students cry during the slave auction scene. I liked starting discussions about slavery with this book rather than with a book about the Underground Railroad because it allowed students to build up some outrage before we start talking about resistance.

Mary Anning: Fossil Hunter: This is English history, but this is a great book and can be used for either social studies or science. Mary Anning (1799-1847) was the English fossil hunter responsible for discovering several important plesiosaur fossils. There are several biographies of Anning, but I like this one best — the sentences are short and easy to read, the pictures are pretty good, and the author explains how members of the Royal Society published Anning's discoveries without giving her credit. One of my brightest students was so offended by this injustice that she wrote about Anning in her journal practically every week for the rest of the year and dressed up as Mary Anning the next Halloween.

Sarah Morton's Day
Samuel Eaton's Day
Tapenum's Day: These books, illustrated with photographs of living historians from Plimoth Plantation, were a smash hit in my classroom. The books follow three children through their typical days in Plimoth c. 1625. The lesson comparing our daily routines to theirs practically writes itself. We spent a whole week on these books (making charts, writing compare/contrast essays, etc.). Other teachers spent the week teaching their students "Ten Little Indians" complete with construction paper headdresses and hand-on-mouth war whooping (I'm not exaggerating). If you must do Thanksgiving, do it with these books and Molly's Pilgrim.

"Sufficient to float a 74 Gun Ship"

John Boyle gets a little snarky:

May 30, 1765:
Died in the 82 year of his Age, Hon. Thomas Lechmere Esqr. formerly Surveyer-Genl. of his Majestys Customs for the Northern District of America. Tis conjectured by those who knew him, that a quantity of Maderia Wine equal to what he has drank, would be Sufficient to float a 74 Gun Ship.

Oh, John Boyle. Thanks for supplying me with that good pre-Revolutionary Boston gossip.

John Morley

While I was reading through John Boyle's diary, I came across the story of John Morley. It's one of those things that makes you grateful for modern medicine:

December 21, 1764
Died, Mr. John Morley. Mercht. a Gentleman well respected among us. About three Weeks ago, he had the Misfortune to break one of his Legs as he was walking across a Carpet in the Chamber which was a little rumpled, which Leg he was obliged to have cutt off, and tho' all possible means were used for his recovery he expired, having endured most excruciating Pain.

Yikes.

"I've Lost My Breeches!"

So what did John Boyle write that is so shocking that the NEHGR decided to snip it out of his diary? Nothing as shocking as I had hoped. I had already found most of the redacted entries on my own, and others were just strange.

The lengthiest excluded entry is from August 14, 1773 and concerns a meeting of the Sons of Liberty. The entry is in two parts — the NEHGR printed the first part, but not the second.

This text appeared in the NEHGR in 1930:

This being the Anniversary of the ever-memorable 14th of August 1765, about 400 of the True born Sons of Liberty convened on Roxbury Common from this and the Neighbouring Towns. There was a superb Tent erected sufficiently capacious to contain the numerous Guests. Unfortunately the Forenoon was wet, which prevented a great Number of Gentlemen, who had engaged their Company from attending the Festivity of the day At the hour of dinner it ceased to rain, and two ranges of Tables were filled about 150 Feet in Length But unhappily for the Guests at the South Table, just after a blessing was asked, and they were seated down, it gave way and fell to the Ground, carrying away at the same time the Benches on which they sat along with it. By this misfortune about 200 Persons, genteely dressed, were mingled with Gravies, Sauces, Salt, Pepper, Sugar, Marrow, Flesh and Bones, Rum, Cyder, Punch and Wine, Plates, Dishes, Knives and Forks However, after this Disaster, the Table was again reared, the Provisions placed, and the Guests sat down. During the Entertainment, a select Band of Musick patroled the Tent, and gladdened the Hearts of the Patriots with the celebrated Song of the Farmer. After an elegant Repast a Number of patriotic Toasts were drank.

The NEHGR account ends there, but Boyle's entry continues:

Soon after the Feast, some Sarcastical Genius wrote the following Poem upon the misfortune which attended the Guests at the fall of the Table. — — !!!
Howl, Stygian Muse, the Noise and Discord dire,
Of heated ovens, and of crack’ling fire;
While Smoke and Soot, Pots, Spits, and Sticks of Wood,
And Coals and Crock, and Garbage, Guts and Blood,
With hideous Riot, all deform the Floor;
Rage, Fury, Firebrands, Bluster, Outrage, Roar,
Blend in one Chaos. — Lo! the Feast appears,
And Charms at once our Eyes, Nose, Touch, Mouth, and Ears,
Fall on, huzza! break down the Bulwark strong,
Let gravy gush, and Pasty sprawl along,
Salt, Pepper, Sugar, Marrow, Flesh and Bones,
Mix in the Mouth, while Spoons encounter Spoons,
Forks rush at Forks, and Plates on Plates resound,
Knives Knives repel, and Crust recrackles round.
War, Tumult, Havock, Shouts, Intreaties, Threats,
Thunder of tumbling Chairs, Stools, Crickets, Seats,
Wild Scenes of Rapture, Horror, Fun, Despair,
Reach to the Roof, and rattle through the Air.
Rum, Cyder, Punch, their frothing Billows roll,
Tankard on Tankard shower’d and Bowl on Bowl.
“Pour Down the Blessing” was the Chaplain’s Word,
And on them all the Blessings down were pour’d.
The Table totters, and the Leaves at once,
Crash to the Floor in one amazing Bounce.
Now Famine stares, now raves the Fury, Thirst,
Frail dishes clash, and batter’d Bottles burst.
What Din! what Uproar, Outcries, screams and screeches!
“I’ve spoilt my Sunday Coat” — “I’ve lost my Breeches!”
“The Soup (‘twas cold indeed) has scalt our Skins,”
“I’m drown’d in Flip and Custard!” — “O my Shins!”
“Lift off the Table, Oh!” — Pull off this Pig.” —
“Alas! my Hat.” — “Farewell Commencement Wig.”
“Unheard of Hotch-poch! Pudding all this side,
This other all bebutterfishify’d! —
“Help! Help! O pick me from among the spoil,
“O’erwhelm’d beneath this Apple-sauce and Oyl.” —
The pious Parson! — fine bedight was he,
With Grace and Greece, Gravy and Gravity.
Unlucky Chance! — how ruefully bepatch’d!
Befoul’d, bedrench d, bepickl d and bewitch’d,
Besoak’d, besous’d! — the figure of the Man!
A Sop so sputters in a dripping pan:
So, mix’d with Mud, you’ve seen a drowned Cat,
and a brown pancake wallop in Hog’s Fat.
His sole attempt these Blessings could obtain,
Who never pray’d before, and never will again.

I almost titled this post "Farewell Commencement Wig."

Why was this poem excluded? The NEHGR included other poems, as well as lengthy accounts of Wolfe's actions on the Plains of Abraham (copied from newspapers). Was this poem too flippant? Did they dislike the jab at prayer?

Who was the "Sarcastical Genius"? It may have been Boyle himself, since he was able to quote the poem at length. Whoever it was, he portrayed the Sons of Liberty in a manner the NEHGR found "hardly suitable for publication."

Law & Order: SVU, 18th-Century Edition

I spent some time with the John Boyle diary this afternoon. Boyle was a printer's apprentice in Boston who kept a diary from 1759-1777, from the time he was 13 until he was 31. I've started transcribing it and have thought about asking Harvard for permission to publish it. That would be a big project, but it's a tremendous source.

I often watch Law & Order reruns as I blog, so it seems appropriate that I should post some of John Boyle's observations on crime and punishment in 18th-century Massachusetts.

Boyle comments most frequently on two types of crimes/trials: sex crimes and crimes committed by British Regulars. I'll leave the latter for another day. For today, I'll post the former, complete with Boyle's not-so-charming misogynist commentary.

1762:

At the Inferior Court lately held in the County of York Thomas Hammett of Berwick, Plaintiff, recovered of Peter Staple of Kittery, Defendant, One Thousand Pounds Lawful Money Damages, and Costs of Prosecution, for the Defendant’s Debauching, Ravishing, and Carnally knowing the Plaintiff’s Wife – A valuable Wife this, who in a few minutes can make so great an addition to her Husband’s Estate.

1768:

At the Superior Court at Charlestown, one Bunker was convicted of abusing his daughter (17 years old) in a most shameful Manner. As his crime is of an entire new specie[s], that of sewing up his Daughters pudenda, the Court have deferred his Sentence till next Term, that they may have an opportunity to consider what kind of punisht. will be most suitable to it.

1773:

A Rape was lately committed at Winthrop by a Married man on the Body of a Girl 13 years of Age — The Father of the Girl compromised the Affair with the Man on his paying him the trifling sum of Two Hundred Pounds Old Tenor!!!

Boyle's incredulity at the fines levied against rapists is particularly interesting. He doesn't seem to object to their being fined, but finds the size of the fines shocking. As for the genital mutilation incident — I'll have to look into that one because I've never heard of it before.