Edward Doty

Edward Doty departed Plymouth, England, aboard the Mayflower on September 6/16, 1620.

The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30–40 in extremely cramped conditions.

By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill.

This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for several months, contributed to what would be a fatal journey for many, especially the majority of women and children.

On the way there were two deaths, a crew member and a passenger, but the worst was yet to come; after arriving at their destination, in the space of several months, almost half the passengers perished in cold, harsh, unfamiliar New England winter.

On November 9/19, 1620, after about three months at sea, including a month of delays in England, they spotted land, which was the Cape Cod Hook, now called Provincetown Harbor.

After sighting land they turned south, attempting to reach their planned destination at the Colony of Virginia.

However, strong winter seas forced them to return to the harbor at Cape Cod hook, where they anchored on November 11.

The Mayflower passengers included the Pilgrims and also non-pilgrims who were merchants, craftsmen, and indentured servants.

The Pilgrims called the craftsmen and indentured servants "strangers".

The Mayflower 's destination was Virginia, but storms and lack of provisions forced it to anchor in Massachusetts.

Because the Mayflower landed in Massachusetts, outside of the Virginia Company territory, the indentured servants argued that the contract was void (including their indentured servitude).

William Bradford, one of the Pilgrim leaders, later wrote, "Several strangers made discontented and mutinous speeches".

The Pilgrim leaders in an effort to stop the rebellion compromised and created "a set of laws for ruling themselves as per majority agreement"known as the Mayflower Compact.

Doty and 40 other male passengers signed the Mayflower Compact where his name appears as "Edward Doten".

The importance of the Mayflower Compact is immeasurable, as it laid the foundation for the creation of the Declaration of Independence and then the Constitution of the United States.

In late 1620, Doty accompanied Hopkins and others on some of the early Pilgrim explorations of the Cape Cod area while trying to locate a suitable location for their settlement.

The early eighteenth century notes of Thomas Prince describe an incident of June 18, 1621, when the first duel (with a sword and dagger) was fought in New England between two servants of Stephen Hopkins – Edward Doty and Edward Leister.

The duel ended with one being wounded in the hand and one in the thigh.

Their punishment was to be tied head and feet together for twenty-four hours without meat or drink.

But soon their master Stephen Hopkins, apparently taking pity on their "great pains", made a "humble request, upon promise of a better carriage" and they were released by the governor.

In the 1623 Division of Land, he received one acre and was later granted an additional twenty acres.

In Plymouth Colony records, Doty's name was also spelled variously as Doten (Mayflower Compact), Dotey (1626 Purchasers and 1643 bear arms lists), Dolton (1627 Division of the Cattle), and Dowty (1633/34 tax lists).

Edward Doty later became a wealthy land owner, but his argumentative nature and display of temper caused him to be in the Plymouth court many times over the years.

Doty was one of the Mayflower passengers that have left an extensive record of his personality.

He had a quick temper and had many business dealings that in some cases bordered on the fraudulent.

Other troublemakers were often removed from Plymouth (i.e. Isaac Allerton was forced out) but Doty lived there throughout the rest of his life.

Doty's first problem with the law came just after the Pilgrims had begun constructing their settlement.

In 1626, Edward Doty was one of twenty-seven Purchasers involved with the colony joint-stock company which afterwards was turned over to the control of senior colony members.

That group were called the "Undertakers", and was made up initially of William Bradford, Myles Standish and Isaac Allerton, who were later joined by Edward Winslow, William Brewster, John Howland, John Alden, Thomas Prence, and four former Merchant Adventurers back in London.

On the agreement, dated October 26, 1626, his surname appears as "Dotey".

In the 1627 Division of the Cattle, in which Doty shared, he probably had completed his term of service to Stephen Hopkins, as he is not listed with that family.

His name as "Edward Dolton", is listed with the family of John Howland and wife Elizabeth.

Records of the 1630s and 1640s show numerous land transactions by him apparently making him quite prosperous.

Per the record of December 4, 1637, one such land transaction involved land being granted to him and Tristram Clarke, "his father in law."

It is known that he did own land in central Plymouth where the Mayflower Society House now stands.

Edward Doty (c. 1599 – August 23, 1655) was a passenger on the 1620 voyage of the Mayflower to North America; he was one of the signers of the Mayflower Compact.

Doty came from England, but from where in England is currently unknown.

A possibility might be East Halton in Lincolnshire.

According to author Charles Edward Banks, Doty was from London and traveled with another Londoner, Stephen Hopkins, as his servant.