John Billington

Not everyone who came to Plymouth on the Mayflower was a Separatist; the Separatists reduced the burden of the cost by allowing Anglicans aboard the Mayflower as well.

One of those families that joined the Separatists were the Billington family, John and his wife Elinor, John Jr., and Francis.

Almost immediately, this family became a thorn in the Pilgrims' side, when Francis Billington got a hold of his father's musket, and shot it off inside the gunpowder room on the ship, almost causing a chain reaction of explosions.

When the ship arrived in Cape Cod, John Jr., 16 years old, consistently became a nuisance to the group, finding himself lost in the woods and fraternizing with the local indians.

Elinor Billington was placed in Stocks for gossiping, a punishable crime in Plymouth.

Then finally, there was John Billington, who Governor William Bradford referred to as a "foul-mouthed miscreant", often times being charged with profanity, blasphemy, and challenging Myles Standish, the military leader of Plymouth.

In 1624, John Billington was associated with Rev. John Lyford, however he claimed he was innocent of Lyford's crimes.

In 1630, John Billington got in an argument with John Newcomen, in which Billington resorted to violence, shooting and killing Newcomen, the first murder in Plymouth. Billington claimed that Newcomen was Trespassing on his property. Some people are calling for Billington's death for this crime.

At the trial, Billington claimed he saw Newcomen raiding his animal traps and stealing food.