West Ashley in Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Crime & Punishment: “Tyed to the Usual Tree”
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 6, 2013
1. Crime & Punishment: “Tyed to the Usual Tree” Marker
What constitutes a crime? In early Charles Towne, the majority of prosecuted crimes involved slander against the government, or actions that endangered the colony or threatened its profit. This differed from New England colonies, where religious or moral laws ruled daily life.
A harsh, yet common, punishment was to tie the offender to “the usual tree” where lashes were “well laid on the naked back.” Lesser offenders received time in the stocks or pillory, while some were locked in a room. Humiliating and sometimes painful, these punishments occurred for all to see, creating a deterrent for others.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 32° 48.155′ N, 79° 58.97′ W. Marker is in Charleston, South Carolina, in Charleston County. It is in West Ashley. Marker can be reached from Old Town Plantation Road near 1500 Old Towne Road. Marker is located on the History Trail at Charles Towne Landing. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Charleston SC 29407, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Common Lodging (a few steps from this marker); On the Edge of an Empire (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Protecting the Colony – The Palisade Wall
this page online
More about this marker. The bottom of the marker contains a picture of a man in a locked room, another of a man with his feet in the pillory, and one of a man tied to a tree being whipped. These have a caption of “In 1673, the Grand Council prosecuted Richard Battin for slanderous remarks against a Council member and the Lord Proprietors. For his crime, he was sentenced to be ‘stript to ye waist, and receive thirteen lashes upon his naked back well laid on, and then be put in the stocks for ye space of one whole hour, with a paper of his accusation on ye fore part of his head.”
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 6, 2013
2. Crime & Punishment: “Tyed to the Usual Tree” Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 6, 2013
3. Marker at Charles Town Landing
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 6, 2013
4. Stocks and Pillory at Charles Towne Landing
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 19, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 890 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 19, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
