Rehoboth William and Chivalry
Chivalry is an ancient Carpenter tradition, perhaps kept alive
from their days as knights in medieval Cambrai and carried
on by John the Town Clerk and John Bishop of Worcester, two
Carpenters with chivalric dispositions. The following is from the
papers of John Winthrop, entitled "Memorandum on the Case of
Welthian Richard's Maid", shows clearly the chivalric nature of
Rehoboth William in a society which often had strict rules
against what we would see as basic kindness. Please forgive the
original 17th century English.
"Mrs. Richards brought her mayde Edye white to me for her misdemeanor. Her
man Jo: Gill about 21 years of Age affirmed that she being sett to keepe the
7 Cowes of her masters she left them in the woods and went waye to the house
of one Carpenter in Weymouth, and there lodged, and he wished her to go
home, and brought her neere home, but she went awaye againe, and wandered in
the woods till the 7th daye at night, and then she went to one Dyers house,
but they would not entertain her but sent her home, but she came not home
till the Lord's Daye in the afternoone. This she confessed, and said she was
afrayd to go home, yet she sayth her master and Mrs. Never her since they
were before me etc. but onely hir Mrs. Gave hir a blow or 2 on the eare.
Her Mrs. Charged her further with discovering the secretts of the famyly.
One thing she confessed about a mayd that drank to much there.
Jo* Gill charged her also with ordinary lying and lazynesse.
She sayth the reson why she lost the Cowe was that she sate downe and
slumbered, and the while they went away. (Wintrop Papers. Vol. VI,
pp. 232-3)
Sincerely,
Bruce Carpenter