Court records from 17th-century Kent County, Maryland, arranged by theme.

Transcribed and compiled by Dr. Alexa Cawley, Ph.D.

Index | Search | Slander Cases - Sorted by last name of plaintiff

Plaintiff Name	Bradnox	Thomas	Defendant Name	Mannering	Margret (servant)	Date	11/18/1657
Slanerous Statement	Mannering accused Bradnox of raping her while she was his servant
Payment Demanded
Court Finding	court orders her to receive ten lashes on her bare back to be administered by an office
Witnesses	Court examined Mannering and she admitted she lied about the rape; Mannering is now Thomas South's maidservant					Source	LIV 122; Liber B folio 20

Plaintiff Name	Burton	Edward	Defendant Name	King	Samuel and Ellenor	Date	8/23/1670
Slanerous Statement	King called the plaintiff a hog stealer and said she would prove him so and she now came into open court saying that what she sd was out of passion and asked forgiveness for the same of the plaintiff which he accepted
Payment Demanded
Court Finding	defendant to pay costs of suit
Witnesses						Source	LIV 293

Plaintiff Name	Carline	Henery	Defendant Name	Broadnox	Mrs. Thomas	Date	1/1/1655
Slanerous Statement	Action of deffamation; Anthony Calloway gives deposition (2/1/56) of story Mrs. Brodnox told Mr. Ringgold about Carline sleeping with a woman at Capt. Fleets house, disowning his wife and carrying on with servant girl and being banished from Rappahannock
Payment Demanded
Court Finding	referenced to next court
Witnesses	Carline produces two witnesses					Source	LVI 42, 55, 56

Plaintiff Name	Chapman	Robert	Defendant Name	Lewis	Eliz	Date	8/28/1671
Slanerous Statement
Payment Demanded
Court Finding	referenced to next court
Witnesses						Source	LIV 316

Plaintiff Name	Deare	John	Defendant Name	Broune	Nicholas	Date	4/25/1655
Slanerous Statement	"it hath appeard by three suffissient wittneses tht the sd mr Nicolas Broune hath slandred the sd Jn Dear, in saying tht hee was a Theiffe, & tht hee had stollen mr Littletons plate"; Broune appeals Court decision to Provincial Court
Payment Demanded
Court Finding	said Broune had to ask Dear's forgiveness in open court and pay 500 lbs in tobacco and cask as reparation of the plaintiff's credit and 500 lbs for public uses to be paid to the sheriff; Court allows appeal w/security of treble damages
Witnesses						Source	LVI 26

Plaintiff Name	Deare	John	Defendant Name	Broune	Nicholas	Date	4/25/1655
Slanerous Statement	Action of slander, agst his wiffe; Broune appeals Court decision to Provincial Court;Court allows appeal w/security of treble damages
Payment Demanded	"Fine of three hundred pounds of tobacco in Caske towards the Reperation of the plaintiffs Credit with Court Charges"
Court Finding	"the slander is euident & aparant . . . Broune shall in open Court aske Forgiuenes, of the sd Deares wife, & acknow his Offence, & shall pay a Fine of three hundred pounds of tobacco in Caske towards the Reperation of the plaintiffs Credit with Court Char
Witnesses	proued by two witnesses					Source	LVI 26

Plaintiff Name	Griffin	Antho:	Defendant Name	Hull	Edd	Date	3/1/1658-9?
Slanerous Statement	for open lyer and defamer
Payment Demanded
Court Finding	charge not proven, plaintiff to pay court costs
Witnesses						Source	LIV 158: Liber B folio 52

Plaintiff Name	Hinson	Mr.	Defendant Name	Reed	Matthew	Date	12/2/1656
Slanerous Statement	"Reed did villifie Mr Hsinson in saying he ether gott his liueing by Cheating & Cossening or by sharking and Cossoning": Ilive reported reed said "Hinson Did gitt his liuing vy shfting sharking And Cossoning", Henry Clay affirmed the same
Payment Demanded
Court Finding	ordered to pay 500 lbs of good tob in lead and cast to repair Hinson's credit and that he acknowledge his office in open court or else remain in the sheriff's hands
Witnesses	Thomas South; Isack Iliue; Henery Clay					Source	LVI 78, 84

Plaintiff Name	Kent County Court		Defendant Name	Hues	Valentine	Date	3/22/1669/70
Slanerous Statement	"scandelous words spoaken agt the Comishoners of Kent County in a very unsemly mannor: the wch he accknowledging in open Court And desireing to be Forgiuen for his missdemeanor"
Payment Demanded
Court Finding	Court "out of theyer Clemency doth remitt his Offence, and only Orders him to pay Costs of sute"
Witnesses						Source	LIV 286

Plaintiff Name	Murell	Gregory	Defendant Name	Griffin	Antho:	Date	1/15/1658-9
Slanerous Statement	an action of slander with 3 suppenes
Payment Demanded
Court Finding
Witnesses						Source	LIV 153: Liber B folio 49

Plaintiff Name	Murell	Gregory	Defendant Name	Hull	Edd	Date	12/15/1658
Slanerous Statement
Payment Demanded
Court Finding	Court found there was no cause for the suit and dismissed it
Witnesses						Source	LIV 149: Liber B folio 47

Plaintiff Name	Price	William	Defendant Name	Martin	Elizabeth (wife of Robt)	Date	9/1/1656
Slanerous Statement	"defamed him by calling his a Periured Rogue"; she said this after asking about an oath Price took against her that she was in bed with Henry Ashley
Payment Demanded	Robert Martin appealed this court decision in October 1656 saying the defamation was his wife's weakness and not his and that he couldn't afford the fine, Court forgave the 300 lbs for public use (LVI 74)
Court Finding	"deffendant shall apy to the sd WmPrice For the Repearation of his Credite three hundred pounds of tob in Caske, or acknowlegde her Offence and aske the plaintiffe Forgiunes in Open Court, & for a Fine shall pay" 300 lbs of tob in cask for public use
Witnesses	Thomas Hill (52); Thomas South (38)					Source	LVI 69-70, 74

Plaintiff Name	Reed	Mathew	Defendant Name	Hynson and South	Thomas	Date	2/2/1656
Slanerous Statement	"Math Reed being at Mr Souths house Cald math Reed Knaue And sh he would proue him soe"
Payment Demanded	Reed complains to Nov. 19, 1657 court that Thomas. Hyson injured him by not resolving slander issue; Court finds in Reed's complaint that Hynson injured him "hath acknowlged that itt was her error & neggleckt in not fully expresing in the sd oath
Court Finding	Court ordered South to confess and acknowledge offense in open court, to repair Cranie Bridge so it could be passed over at all tides and to keep it that way for 1 year and to pay the cost of the suit
Witnesses	Elizabeth Clay (34); Henry Clay and Isack Iliue					Source	LVI 90-91; 103

Plaintiff Name	Ringgold	John or Thomas?	Defendant Name	Wickes	Joseph	Date	2/2/1657
Slanerous Statement	when Ringgold insulted Wickes regarding his bastard child, Wickes returned with statement that Ringgold stole a hog from Valerus Leo; lots of testimony
Payment Demanded
Court Finding	referenced to Provincial Court on 3/2/1657
Witnesses	Ann Hinson (43); Thomas South; John Salter; John Ringgold; James Rigby; Robert Vaughan; Henry Morgan?					Source	LIV 85-86, 104

Plaintiff Name	Ringould	Jeames	Defendant Name	Smith	Will	Date	8/28/1671
Slanerous Statement
Payment Demanded
Court Finding	"the dft asking pardon on his knees the plt did pardon him the twenty stripes the wich he was adiudged by the Cort to haye"
Witnesses						Source	LIV 316

Plaintiff Name	Smith	Mathias	Defendant Name	Wright	Katherine	Date	11/22/1670
Slanerous Statement	could it have anything to do with the charge that Mathias Smith did not deliver hogs to Richard More that he bought? LIV 301
Payment Demanded
Court Finding	plaintiff does not prove his suit so court grants a write of abatement with nonsuit, plaintiff to pay costs of the suit?
Witnesses						Source	LIV 301

Plaintiff Name	True	John	Defendant Name	Harris	George	Date	6/28/1670
Slanerous Statement
Payment Demanded	defendant ordered to pay 350 lbs of tobacco
Court Finding	plaintiff doesn’t prove charge, ordered to pay costs after defendant requests abatement of writ for nonsuit; after debate sent to a jury which decides in favor of the plaintiff
Witnesses	JURY: James Ringgold, John Dabb, Henry Carter, John Winchester, Alexander Walters, Edward Joanes, George Gouldhawke, John Cooper, Charles Stuard, Ralph Blackhall, Willaim Yeamans, Jeremiah Eaton					Source	LIV 288, 296

Plaintiff Name	Vaughan	Capt. Robert	Defendant Name	Laut	William	Date	1/29/1648
Slanerous Statement	"uttered divers reviling, and upbraiding speeches against the person of the said Capt. Vaughan, and his authority, full of insolency, arroganacy, and pride, inciting and animating thereby those people committed tom his charge to sedition and rebellion..
Payment Demanded	"the said Laut may be censured and punished, as the foulness therof shall by this Court be found to deserve"
Court Finding	"ordered, that th Defendant should confess himself srry for his fact commited in open Court and the action to be dismissed"
Witnesses						Source	LVI 2

Plaintiff Name	Winchester	John	Defendant Name	Commins	Edward	Date	1/3/1647
Slanerous Statement	"in an action of slander"; an insult to Winchester's wife?
Payment Demanded	5000 lbs of tobacco and cask
Court Finding	Warrant granted; "The Court ordereth that the defendant shall ask the Wife of the plaintiff forgiveness in open court, for the slander, and likewise to pay the woman 500 lbs of tobacco and cask in satisfaction, with Court charges"
Witnesses						Source	LVI 1-2