Tracy He

HI65 - B

Ms. Kamen

09/13/22

Mary Dyer Statue

The Mary Dyer statue is important because it represents Dyer’s martyrdom that helped

relieve religious persecution of Quakers. Mary Dyer

and her husband, William Dyer, first arrived in Boston

around 1635.1 Mary met Anne Hutchinson and

supported Anne in her belief that instead of speaking to

a clergy, God spoke directly to individuals. Mary’s

involvement in the Antinomian heresy resulted in her

banishment from Massachusetts in 1638.2 She followed

Anne Hutchinson and moved to Portsmouth, Rhode

Island where her husband joined the founding

of Portsmouth. Mary and her husband then

returned to England where she heard the

preachings of George Fox, the founder of the

Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

1
Mary Barrett Dyer. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Barrett-Dyer (accessed Sep. 13, 2022)
2
Mary Dyer. Quakers in the World. https://www.quakersintheworld.org/quakers-in-action/15/Mary-Dyer (accessed
Sep. 13, 2022)
Agreeing with his beliefs, Mary became a Quaker and came back to New England for missionary

work in 1658. This was particularly dangerous because many states were passing harsh

anti-Quaker laws.3 Mary was arrested and imprisoned many times in Boston because of her

religious beliefs. In September 1659 she was formally banished from Massachusetts with the

threat of execution if she were to return .

Despite this, Mary returned to Boston a month

later and was arrested. Her execution was

reprieved because of her son and the Governor

of Connecticut’s interference3. However,

Mary, following her conscience, still returned

to Massachusetts and was sentenced to death.

She was hung on Boston Common for the

crime of being a Quaker. In 1959 a bronze

statue of Mary Dyer sculpted by Sylvia Shaw Judson was made to honor her and the Anne

Hutchinson/Mary Dyer Memorial Herb Garden was created in Portsmouth4. Many narratives are

in support of Mary Dyer’s martyrdom as she helped to bring religious freedom for Quakers. I

would have liked to learn more about Mary’s son and husband’s perspective since they

themselves never became Quakers and learn to what extent they supported Mary.

3
Mary Barrett Dyer. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Barrett-Dyer (accessed Sep. 13, 2022)
4
Mary Dyer. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Dyer (accessed Sep. 13, 2022)