This week Westminster commemorated the 250th anniversary of what became known as the “Westminster Massacre.” In 1775 two local men, William French and Daniel Houghton, were killed during a confrontation at the Westminster Courthouse between New York-leaning Tories and those who opposed the British/New York government. William French was from Brattleborough and Daniel Houghton was from Dummerston. Here’s William French’s story...
William French lived on what is now Old Ferry Road. He was born in 1753 and died in 1775, 8 days shy of his 22nd birthday. His early death arrived in a hail of gunfire at the Westminster Courthouse. His body was struck by five bullets fired by his neighbors. How does a community get to the point where neighbor will shoot neighbor?
The early days of Brattleborough were contentious. Some settlers were loyal to New York, some to New Hampshire, some liked British rule, and some despised it. In those first years, those loyal to New York and the King of England controlled town government.
William French’s father, Nathaniel, was one of the early settlers of Brattleborough. According to Mary Cabot’s "Annals of Brattleboro," in 1769 the Frenches were one of the last families to live in Fort Dummer. They soon left the fort and built a home in the most northeastern corner of town.
In 1774 economic conflict between the British colonies of North America and the government of Great Britain was intensifying. In December of 1773, the Boston Tea Party had been a protest against British tax collection in the colonies. The British government responded with the Coercive Acts, a series of laws to punish Massachusetts and intimidate the other colonies.
The Coercive Acts lived up to their name, although many in the colonies referred to them as Intolerable. The Boston port was locked down by the British military. Ship trade was halted, unemployment rose, and some in the Boston area began to starve. The representative colonial government of Massachusetts was replaced by an all-powerful pro-British Governor. The court system was shut down. More British troops were transported into the colonies to enforce British policies. These economic hardships had ripple effects throughout the New England colonies.
Brattleborough was part of New York’s Cumberland County. The town government sided with New York and many remained loyal to Great Britain. However, homesteaders who had borrowed money to begin frontier life along the Connecticut River were struggling to make ends meet. Their loans were called in before they could raise money to pay them. Working class farmers were squeezed by the system. The British economic pressures brought to bear in Boston were reaching into the hills of Vermont.
According to a Dummerston Historical Society publication, the settlers were frequently irritated by “The tyrannical attitude of the New York government.” The Dummerston book went on to say that the King’s decision to recognize New York rule in this area “caused monumental problems for those who were striving to conform to New Hampshire Grant obligations and excessive taxes from New York’s tyranny. Many homes were destroyed by New York officials while others were confiscated.” Dummerston grew to oppose New York rule.
In February of 1775 Nathaniel French, William’s father, traveled to Westminster to represent Brattleborough at a meeting of homesteaders who were not happy with the present political conditions. French was opposed to continued British influence in the region. The group voted to change the pro-British administration of justice in the county court system. They believed the courts were unfairly confiscating property and abusing their authority. Young William French, living in northern Brattleborough, sided with his neighbors, and opposed the New York-friendly leaders of Brattleborough.
In March of 1775 the New York court in Westminster planned to open. Court cases against landowners in Cumberland County were due to be heard. Those who were in debt expected to lose their property. Nathaniel French was a member of the Standing Committee of Correspondence. They decided to stop the Westminster Courthouse from opening. They also wanted to share their demands that the leadership of the court change. Young William French joined this group of “Liberty Men.”
On March 13, 1775 over 100 men occupied the Westminster Courthouse. News of the plan made its way to Brattleborough and Sheriff William Patterson organized 25 residents who traveled to Westminster, gathering more men on the way. Their intent was to clear the “rioters” from the building so court could be held the next day. Sheriff Patterson arrived at Westminster with about 70 men. Many were armed. Among the men were some of the most prominent of Brattleborough. Samuel Knight, the only lawyer in town, Samuel Gale, the son-in-law of the wealthiest landowner, and Benjamin Butterfield, the clerk of the court, were three Brattleborough men who arrived with their weapons.
What you see is often determined by where you stand. Those who believed they were standing on the King’s land thought they were fighting for law and order. Those who believed they were standing for the rights of men to govern themselves thought they were fighting for justice. What the Sheriff’s men saw when they rushed the courthouse was not a group of their neighbors, what they saw was the enemy.
Shots were fired into the courthouse from the Sheriff’s posse. Twenty-one-year-old William French was hit five times by bullets fired from the guns of local men. An examination of his body revealed that he died from a gunshot to the head. Daniel Houghton was seriously injured and died of his wounds nine days later. History books hide the horror of this story behind labels like Tories and Whigs, New Yorkers and Patriots. A quick read of the events could lead you to think the participants may have not have known one another. However, there were less than 200 men involved in this episode. They were all from neighboring towns and knew one another well. William French and Daniel Houghton were killed by their neighbors. While the Westminster Massacre can be seen as a catalyst for the American Revolution, it can also be seen as a failure of a community to figure out how to listen to one another in challenging times.
