Thomas Baker arrived in the colony of Maryland as an indentured servant, sometime in the mid-1650s. In 1661 the Maryland governor, Philip Calvert, appointed Baker as magistrate of Charles County. This generated a firestorm of protest. There were questions about Baker’s suitability: he was of very humble origins, questionable sobriety and very coarse behaviour. Just how coarse became a matter of public record in 1662, during a series of defamation hearings. Witnesses accused Baker of slandering several men and women, the latter with sexual slurs. He was alleged to have described Mrs Joan Nevill:

“…in so gross a manner that if [the things Baker said were] true… she would not be a creature modest enough to keep the brutals of the forest company.”

Two other witnesses, Richard Roe and William Robisson, testified that Baker had said that:

“…[Francis] Pope’s wife’s c–t was like a shot bag, and Miss Alice Hatch’s c—t would make sauce enough for all the dogs in the town.”

No official sanction or decision against Baker was recorded, however he never again sat as a magistrate, suggesting that the governor quietly ordered Baker’s removal.

Source: Records of Charles County, Maryland, 1658 and 1662. Content on this page is © Alpha History 2019-23. Content may not be republished without our express permission. For more information please refer to our Terms of Use or contact Alpha History.