The Loyalist

In the cacophony of voices that resounded during the American Revolution, there were those who ardently supported the colonial cause and others who remained fiercely loyal to the British Crown. Among the latter was Timothy Ruggles, born on October 20, 1711. His story, often overshadowed by the tales of Patriots, is an essential part of the American tapestry, giving insight into the complexities and divisions of the Revolutionary era.

Born in Sandwich, Massachusetts, Timothy Ruggles hailed from a prominent New England family. He graduated from Harvard College in 1732 and quickly established himself as a successful lawyer and public servant. Through his work, he cultivated a reputation for being a staunch defender of colonial rights under British rule.

Ruggles’s political prominence came to the fore during the turbulent 1760s. In 1765, he was chosen as the president of the Stamp Act Congress, an assembly of delegates from nine colonies that met in New York to draft a formal protest against the Stamp Act. This act, imposed by the British Parliament, levied taxes on various paper products, stirring considerable unrest in the colonies. Despite his leadership role, Ruggles did not sign the final petition to King George III, which protested the act—a hint of his loyalist leanings.

As tensions escalated, Ruggles’s loyalty to the Crown became more evident. While he believed in the colonies’ rights, he also felt that open rebellion against the British Crown was neither right nor prudent. Such a stance made him an outlier among many of his contemporaries, especially as revolutionary fervor grew.

Ruggles’s loyalist convictions were not without consequences. As the situation in Boston deteriorated, he found it increasingly difficult to stay. He departed from the city in 1775, and in his absence, his vast landholdings were confiscated by revolutionary authorities. Such actions against loyalists were not uncommon, reflecting the intense animosity and suspicion of the times.

In 1778, Massachusetts passed the Banishment Act, which proscribed certain loyalists from returning to the state under penalty of death. Timothy Ruggles was among those named. This legal condemnation underscores the depth of the divide between Patriots and Loyalists.

One of the poignant aspects of Ruggles’s life was his daughter, who remained in the United States. Their separation symbolizes the personal costs and fractured families resulting from the political schisms of the Revolution. The choice of many Loyalists to leave behind family, property, and established lives underscores the complexity of the era and the challenging decisions many faced.

His daughter, Bathsheba, had married an American solider, Joshua Spooner, a wealthy but reportedly abusive man. Bathsheba found solace in the company of a British soldier named Ezra Ross. Their illicit affair, fueled by passion and desperation, soon took a dark turn.

In 1778, with the assistance of two British soldiers she had sheltered, Bathsheba plotted and executed the murder of her husband. Joshua Spooner’s lifeless body was discovered in a well, a grim testament to the treacherous act.

Bathsheba’s crime didn’t remain hidden for long. She, along with her co-conspirators, was quickly arrested and put on trial. The case attracted widespread attention, not least because Bathsheba was pregnant at the time of her arrest. Despite pleas for mercy on account of her condition, she and her accomplices were found guilty and sentenced to hang.

In July 1778, Bathsheba Spooner became the first woman to be lawfully executed in the new United States of America. A post-mortem examination revealed she had been carrying a near full-term child, adding another layer of tragedy to her tale.

After leaving Boston, Ruggles settled in Nova Scotia, a refuge for many Loyalists. He continued his public service there, serving on the province’s council and working to establish the fledgling community of Loyalists. He passed away in 1795.

Ruggles’s legacy is twofold: On one hand, he stands as a symbol of the deep divisions that marked the Revolutionary era, reminding us that the drive for independence was not universally embraced. On the other, his life post-Boston illustrates the resilience and adaptability of the Loyalists, who, though on the “losing” side of history, made significant contributions to North American society in their own right.