Individual Details
Robert Latham
(Ca 1613 - Bef 28 February 1688/89)
On 4 Mar 1654/5 Robert was indicted for felonious cruelty causing the death of his 14 year old servant, John Walker. A jury found him guilty of manslaughter and he was sentenced to be burned on the hand and, since he owned not land, to have his personal property confiscated. The courts charged wife Susanna with complicity, but she was never tried.
Susan E. Roser, Mayflower Increasings, Genealogical Publishing, Baltimore, 2nd ed. 1995.
On 31 January 1654/55 a coroner's jury was called to view the body of Latham's servant boy, John Walker." The jury found:
“that the body of John Walker was blackish and blew, and the skine broken in divers places from the middle to the haire of his head, viz, all his backe with stripes given him by his master, Robert Latham, as Robert himselfe did testify; and also wee found a bruise of his left arme, and one of his left hipp, and one great bruise of his brest; and there was the knuckles of one hand and one of his fingers frozen, and alsoe both his heeles frozen, and one of the heeles the flesh was much broken, and alsoe one of his little toes frozen and very much perished, and one of his great toes frozen, and alsoe the side of his foot frozen; and alsoe,upon the reviewing the body, wee found three gaules like holes in the hames, which wee formerly, the body being frozen, thought they had been holes; and alsoe wee find that the said John was forced to carry a logg which was beyond his strength, which hee indeavoring to doe, the logg fell upon him, and hee, being downe, had a stripe or two, as Joseph Beedle doth testify; and wee find that it was some few daies before his death; and wee find, by the testimony of John Howland and John Adams, that heard Robert Latham say that hee gave John Walker som stripes that morning before his death; and alsoe wee find the flesh much broken of the knees of John Walker, and that he did want sufficient food and clothing and lodging, and that the said John did constantly wett his bedd and his cloathes, lying in them, and so suffered by it, his clothes being frozen about him; and that the said John was put forth in the extremity of cold, though thuse unabled by lamenes and sorenes to performe what was required; and therefore in respect of crewelty and hard usage he died.”
Susan E. Roser, Mayflower Increasings, Genealogical Publishing, Baltimore, 2nd ed. 1995.
On 31 January 1654/55 a coroner's jury was called to view the body of Latham's servant boy, John Walker." The jury found:
“that the body of John Walker was blackish and blew, and the skine broken in divers places from the middle to the haire of his head, viz, all his backe with stripes given him by his master, Robert Latham, as Robert himselfe did testify; and also wee found a bruise of his left arme, and one of his left hipp, and one great bruise of his brest; and there was the knuckles of one hand and one of his fingers frozen, and alsoe both his heeles frozen, and one of the heeles the flesh was much broken, and alsoe one of his little toes frozen and very much perished, and one of his great toes frozen, and alsoe the side of his foot frozen; and alsoe,upon the reviewing the body, wee found three gaules like holes in the hames, which wee formerly, the body being frozen, thought they had been holes; and alsoe wee find that the said John was forced to carry a logg which was beyond his strength, which hee indeavoring to doe, the logg fell upon him, and hee, being downe, had a stripe or two, as Joseph Beedle doth testify; and wee find that it was some few daies before his death; and wee find, by the testimony of John Howland and John Adams, that heard Robert Latham say that hee gave John Walker som stripes that morning before his death; and alsoe wee find the flesh much broken of the knees of John Walker, and that he did want sufficient food and clothing and lodging, and that the said John did constantly wett his bedd and his cloathes, lying in them, and so suffered by it, his clothes being frozen about him; and that the said John was put forth in the extremity of cold, though thuse unabled by lamenes and sorenes to performe what was required; and therefore in respect of crewelty and hard usage he died.”
Events
| Birth | Ca 1613 | England |  | ||
| Immigration | Abt 1645 | Plymouth Colony | |||
| Marriage | Ca 1649 | Plymouth Colony - Susannah Winslow | |||
| Residence | 1665 | Satuket (Bridgewater) | |||
| Death | Bef 28 February 1688/89 | East Bridgewater, Massachusetts Bay |
Families
| Spouse | Susannah Winslow (1630 - 1685) |
| Child | Mercy Latham (1650 - 1698) |
| Child | Mary Latham (1653 - ) |
| Child | Susanna Latham (1656 - ) |
| Child | James Latham (1659 - ) |
| Child | Hannah Latham ( - ) |
| Child | Joseph Latham (1663 - ) |
| Child | Elizabeth Latham (1665 - ) |
| Child | Chilton Latham (1672 - ) |
Endnotes
1. General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Mayflower Families Through Five Generations: Volume 15 James Chilton and Richard More (Plymouth, MA: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2013), .