Dale's Code

Tough times can often call for tough measures. In 1607, Jamestown became the first successful English colony in North America. The Virginia Company owned the colony but mismanaged it from the start. It suffered many tough years before becoming stable. Disorganization, disease, starvation, and warfare killed hundreds of settlers in the first few years. Several leaders wrote laws intent on bringing order to the colony. In 1611, Sir Thomas Dale arrived and took control of the colony for the next several years enforcing the laws and adding a few of his own. This became known as Dale’s Code or Dale’s Laws.

The laws were strict and the punishments severe. Punishments for minor offenses included public humiliation, whipping, cutting off ears, tying one’s head and feet together, or driving a spike through the tongue. For serious crimes, Dale condemned the guilty upon “pain of death” for blasphemy, uttering rebellious language, adultery, trading with or stealing from Natives, violating an oa