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Mary Dyer is hanged for defying a law banning Quakers from the Massachusetts Bay Colony

Mary Dyer was an English and colonial American Puritan-turned-Quaker who was hanged in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, for repeatedly defying a Puritan law banning Quakers from the colony due to...

Mary Dyer was an English and colonial American Puritan-turned-Quaker who was hanged in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, for repeatedly defying a Puritan law banning Quakers from the colony due to their theological expansion of the Puritan concept of a church of individuals regenerated by the Holy Spirit to the idea of the indwelling of the Spirit or the "Light of Christ", which was deemed dangerous heresy. She is one of the four executed Quakers known as the Boston martyrs.

Dyer's birthplace has not been established, but it is known that she was married in London in 1633 to William Dyer, a member of the Fishmongers' Company but a milliner by profession. Mary and William were Puritans who were interested in reforming the Anglican Church from within, without separating from it.

Events Before

  1. First known cheque written (£400), now on display at Westminster Abbey

    First known cheque written (£400), now on display at Westminster Abbey

  2. Battle of the Lines of Elvas: Portuguese forces defeat Spanish forces during the Portuguese Restoration War

    The Restoration War between Portugal and Spain began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668, bringing a formal end to the Iberian Union. The period from...

  3. The assault on Copenhagen by Swedish forces is beaten back with heavy losses

    The assault on Copenhagen by Swedish forces is beaten back with heavy losses

  4. France, England, and the Netherlands sign the Concert of The Hague, outlining a common stance on how the Second Northern

    France, England, and the Netherlands sign the Concert of The Hague, outlining a common stance on how the Second Northern War should end

  5. Netherlands, England and France sign Treaty of The Hague

    Netherlands, England and France sign Treaty of The Hague

Events After

  1. Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England is ritually executed after having been dead for two years

    Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England is ritually executed after having been dead for two years

  2. Princess Henrietta of Orange-Nassau (16) weds Philippe of France, Duke of Orléans (20)

    Princess Henrietta of Orange-Nassau (16) weds Philippe of France, Duke of Orléans (20)

  3. Treaty of The Hague is signed, whereby the Dutch Republic sells New Holland (Brazil) to Portugal for 63 tons of gold

    Treaty of The Hague is signed, whereby the Dutch Republic sells New Holland (Brazil) to Portugal for 63 tons of gold

  4. The Fifth Monarchists unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London

    The Fifth Monarchists unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London

  5. In his will French Cardinal Mazarin bequeaths his famous library to the Collège des Quatre-Nations, part of the Universi

    In his will French Cardinal Mazarin bequeaths his famous library to the Collège des Quatre-Nations, part of the University of Paris (opens 1689) - now the oldest public library in France [1]

More from the 1660s

English Colonel George Monck, with two brigades of troops, crosses the Anglo-Scottish border by fording the River Tweed

English Colonel George Monck, with two brigades of troops, crosses the Anglo-Scottish border by fording the River Tweed at Coldstream and heads through knee-deep snow to London to end military rule and restore the monarchy

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England is ritually executed after having been dead for two years

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England is ritually executed after having been dead for two years

English Poet and author of "Paradise Lost" John Milton marries 3rd wife Elizabeth Mynshull, 31 years his junior.

English Poet and author of "Paradise Lost" John Milton marries 3rd wife Elizabeth Mynshull, 31 years his junior.

English Long Parliament disbands

The Convention Parliament of England (25 April 1660 – 29 December 1660) followed the Long Parliament that had finally voted for its own dissolution on 16 March that year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on June 1, 1660?
Mary Dyer was an English and colonial American Puritan-turned-Quaker who was hanged in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, for repeatedly defying a Puritan law banning Quakers from the colony due to their theological expansion of the Puritan concept of a church of individuals regenerated by the Holy Spirit to the idea of the indwelling of the Spirit or the "Light of Christ", which was deemed dangerous heresy. She is one of the four executed Quakers known as the Boston martyrs. Dyer's birthplace has not been established, but it is known that she was married in London in 1633 to William Dyer, a member of the Fishmongers' Company but a milliner by profession.
Why is Mary Dyer is hanged for defying a law banning Quakers from the Massachusetts ... historically important?
Dyer's birthplace has not been established, but it is known that she was married in London in 1633 to William Dyer, a member of the Fishmongers' Company but a milliner by profession. Mary and William were Puritans who were interested in reforming the Anglican Church from within, without separating from it.

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June 1 in HistoryYear 1660