REPUDIATION DAY

260th ANNIVERSARY OF REPUDIATION DAY

Frederick County's historic stand against

the British Stamp Act of 1765

November 23, 1765 - November 23, 2025

Join Us at 2pm at Frederick City Hall Park

Sunday, November 23, 2025

THIS IS A FREE EVENT. PUBLIC PARTICATION IS ENCOURAGED

On Street Parking is Limited, so please park in one of the nearby garagesChurch Street Parking Garage (3 minute walk)Court Street Parking Garage (4 minute walk)West Patrick Street Garage (5 minute walk)

Join Us Dressed in your mid 1700’s Attire to Reenact this Important Frederick County Historical Event

On November 23, 1765, twelve judges of Frederick County became the first to repudiate the British Stamp Act, a tax which was designed to cover the costs of keeping British troops in the American colonies. The judges met in a home on Record Street, near the county courthouse (today’s City Hall), and decided they were not going to charge the tax and refused to require local residents to use stamped papers. The late Judge Edward Delaplaine called the 12 Frederick County judges who repudiated the Stamp Act the "12 immortal judges”.

A reenactment of the well-documented parade by the celebrating citizens of old Frederick Town will form up at 2:00 PM in front of City Hall and we encourage community participation. A parade will follow the sidewalks of old town Frederick. Participating in the parade will be the Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution, the Monocacy / Old Line Music Corp , “citizens of the town” carrying the coffin in which the Stamp Act was symbolically laid to rest and people carrying signs expressing their feeling about the Stamp Act. Once back at City Hall, there will be a brief ceremony on the front steps then activities will move into the City Hall Meeting Room.

Guest speakers will relate the history of the period and the story of everyday people doing extraordinary things to secure their rights and liberties.

Adults and children interested in the history of Frederick and this period in Colonial America should find the presentations informative and educational.

On November 23, 1765, 12 judges in Frederick County, Maryland, repudiated the Stamp Act, becoming the first in America to do so

Event Sponsors

Carrollton Manor Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution

Frederick Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution

Sgt. Lawrence Everhart Chapter Sons of the American Revolution

City of Frederick

Visit Frederick

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City of Frederick

Visit Frederick

Carrollton Manor Chapter NSDAR

Frederick Chapter, NSDAR

Sgt. Lawrence Everhart, SAR

REPUDATION DAY HISTORY

In the early spring of 1765, the British Parliament passed legislation that triggered unforeseen consequences for their empire in North America. The short title of the law was Duties in American Colonies Act 1765; to the people of the thirteen American colonies it was simply the Stamp Act. It birthed the first unified protests against the Mother Country and set the foundation for open rebellion a decade later.

The Stamp Act was proposed as a means to recover some of the costs of the Seven Years War, or, as it was known in the colonies, the French and Indian War (1754-1763). This seemed perfectly reasonable to Parliament. The Crown had expended considerable blood and treasure defending their North American colonies. It was time for the colonies to help defray the cost of their own defense. The Act was similar to one that had been in place in England for many years. It levied a fee, or tax, on paper used to conduct most forms of business, both legal and commercial; everything from licenses to playing cards. The law was set to take effect in the colonies on November 1, 1765.

To many colonists on the other side of the Atlantic, who had also shed considerable blood during what they called the French and Indian War, the law represented another effort by Britain to unfairly tax her colonies. Since the colonists had no direct representation in Parliament, it was not long before the mantra of "no taxation without representation" spread along the eastern seaboard of North America. In Maryland, the unique wording of their founding charter (1632) clearly stated they were not to be taxed other than by the taxes they placed on themselves.

Many Marylanders vehemently opposed the Stamp Act. When the actual wording of the Act reached the colony in May, 1765, a ground swell of resistance began to build. For the first time, the colonies fused as one in opposition. Committees formed in each of the colonies to the response and the Sons of Liberty soon emerged to provide a more intimidating response.

Within weeks, a call went out from Massachusetts for a Stamp Act Congress to be held in New York City in the coming fall. With the short notice provided, only nine colonies were able to send delegates. On October 19, 1765, the Congress prepared a list of resolutions. Obviously wishing to protect their own necks, the first article declared their loyalty to the Crown. This was followed by thirteen reasons the Stamp Act was considered a violation of their rights and specifically requested the Act be repealed.

By September, 1765, the protests in Maryland reached a point where Governor Horatio Sharpe was becoming quite concerned about the arrival of the official paper and stamps. He believed the populace was not going to allow it to be offloaded and if it was they would surely destroy it. He requested the stamped paper remain on board ship until the situation calmed down. The effectivity date of the Stamp Act arrived and the paper necessary to conduct almost all business in the colony was unavailable.

In Frederick County, Maryland, the reaction to the Stamp Act mirrored what was happening in all the colonies. In August, 1765, the stamp distributor was burned in effigy in Frederick Town reflecting the community's attitude towards the impending tax. Armed companies of men began to gather in Frederick Town and talked of marching on Annapolis. However, a most unique defiance of Parliament and King, triggered by a simple civil suit, was about to take place in this county situated on the colonial frontier.

In 1765, Frederick County (established 1748) encompassed the entire western half of Maryland. Twelve judges, appointed by the Governor's Council, presided over legal matters in the various county districts. The Court, sitting for its November Term, had ordered a man released on bail and the entry to be noted in the court record book. The Clerk of Frederick County Court, John Darnall, felt obliged to abide by the recently enacted law. Darnall decided the County Clerk's office would not conduct any official business until the proper paper was received from England. He argued the Stamp Act had been enacted and an effectivity date established; he would wait for the stamped paper to comply. Darnall's decision brought the commercial and legal commerce of Frederick County to an abrupt halt.

The clerk's defiance and refusal to conduct the court's business prompted a quick reaction from the sitting justices. They ordered him to proceed with his duties without the stamped paper. Darnall, who apparently feared the King's wrath more than the Court's, refused to comply with the order. On November 18, 1765, the justices ordered Darnall arrested. He was to be "committed to the custody of this County" until he complied with the Court's order. As it turned out, the prospect of spending time in Sheriff George Murdock's "care" was enough to convince Darnall to accept the Court's order. He paid his charges and was released.

On Saturday, November 23, 1765, the Frederick County Court issued their formal and unanimous ruling. Using a common-sense and cleverly nuanced approach, they stated "that all proceedings shall be valid without the use of stamps" because, firstly, a "legal publication" of "any Act of Parliament" had not been made to the court and secondly, there was no stamped paper in "this Province and the Inhabitants have no means of Procuring any". They wrote "that it would be an injustice of the most wanton oppression to deprive any person of a legal remedy for the recovery of his property for omitting that which is impossible to perform". The much-despised Stamp Act had just "received a mortal wound at the hands of justice".

The "Genius of Liberty" displayed by these twelve men epitomized the feelings of independence and patriotism beginning to rise in the hearts of many Americans. Later honored as the "Twelve Immortals", their courageous action has often been memorialized in Maryland.

The ruling by the justices set off great rejoicing by the residents of Frederick Town who celebrated the event the following Saturday with a parade through the streets highlighted by an elaborate funeral procession. The Frederick Town citizenry symbolically lay to rest the corpse of the Stamp Act - age 22 days. A description of the events in Frederick Town was printed by Jonas Green in his Maryland Gazette newspaper on December 10, 1765.

The wide-spread and often violent colonial reaction to the Stamp Act surprised most members of Parliament despite warnings from certain quarters of the growing unrest in America. However, it was the detrimental impact American boycotts were having in England that eventually forced Parliament to reconsider the despised legislation. On February 21, 1766 Parliament acceded to the growing demands for repeal and King George III gave his formal acceptance a month later.

This was but one small victory for the colonial Americans. Parliament continued to pass laws that suppressed and penalized the colonists. These measures triggered ever more violent reactions until on a morning in April, 1775, at a "rude bridge that arched the flood" in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, the longing for freedom erupted into America's fight for independence.

THE "12 IMMORTALS" EXPLAINED

The level of documentation that an individual leaves behind not only reflects their social and economic standing but also the time in which they live. The paper trail left by many of these men is scarce, as is not uncommon among their generation, as compared to our own time. While the Twelve Immortals were leaders in their community, they lived, for example, during a time when Maryland did not have formal birth and death records. The sources listed on the bibliography page provide easy access to records that do exist and should be used to begin any investigation into the Immortals. They are all available in the Maryland Room of the Frederick County Public Library.

The men who came to be known as "The Twelve Immortals" arrived in Frederick County at different times and in different circumstances. Some migrated from other colonies or from the British Isles. Others were born in the Maryland colony. They shared common traits; most importantly they belonged to the gentleman class, that upper echelon of settlers who built wealth and position through their labors, entrepreneurship or personal connections. For the most part they were large landowners. Some died before the War of Independence, others helped to secure it. Whatever their backgrounds, whatever their beliefs, when they met on that fateful day in 1765 they united to deliver a stunning rebuke of King and Parliament.

Judge Thomas Beatty

Thomas Beatty was born in New York to John and Susanna [Ashfordby] Beatty in 1703. He married Marie (Mary) Jansen in Kingston, New York on October 23, 1729. They migrated to Frederick County by 1733 based on tax rolls and had six known children.

Thomas and his two eldest sons, Charles and Thomas Jr., were among the largest landowners in the county. His longest place of residence in Frederick County was a tract of land known as Beatty's Delight which was located on the lower part of Linganore Creek about a mile from the Monocacy River. This tract of land was so large and important that it was used as an early landmark in the county.

In 1748, Thomas Beatty served on the committee calling for the formation of Frederick County, part of Prince George's County at the time. The official division occurred on December 13, 1748. Additionally, the court suggested laying out a road and put Nathaniel Wickham Jr., Thomas Beatty, and Joseph Wood in charge of this project. This road would be the forerunner for modern day Route 194.

He was the longest-serving appointed judge in Frederick County's early history serving from 1748-1765, with a gap from 1751-1753. During these years, he also served in the Lower House of the Maryland colonial government.

Thomas Beatty died in 1768. Two of his children were minors when he wrote his will but he made provision that their education should be provided for from his estate.

Judge Peter Bainbridge

Peter Bainbridge was born near Princeton, New Jersey on March 20, 1722 to Edmund and Abigail [White] Bainbridge. He first married Joanne Oake in 1742. She died the following year as did their only child.

He first appears in Frederick County in 1755 and he is living in the middle of the Catoctin Valley. He served in the French and Indian War with a captain's commission. On November 1, 1756 he purchased 392 acres (called Rams Horn) from Daniel Arnold. The deed refers to him as Captain Peter Bainbridge.

His first term as a Frederick county justice would be in 1758. However, the citizens of Frederick were concerned he was abusing his position. They sent a petition to Governor Horatio Sharpe requesting his removal and listed their justification as being, "his bad Conduct in every Shape, Wrong Judgments, and other Grievous affairs too Tedious to mention here." As an example of his supposed misconduct, Michael Cregar claimed he had evidence that Bainbridge

took and received double fees for one warrant. Bainbridge requested the "Frederick County Sheriff to summon fourteen witnesses to appear before the Governor and the Council." They failed to appear and the matter was dropped.

In 1760, Bainbridge married his second wife, Ruth White (1739- 1807), a native of Frederick County with whom he had ten children. By 1768, he owned approximately 1,073 acres. He lived between modern day Myersville and Middletown.

He was constable of the Upper Catoctin hundred in 1775. During this time, he was appointed to solicit subscriptions to purchase arms and ammunition for the Patriot cause. He died on February 9, 1806 in Fayette County, Kentucky.

Judge William Luckett

William Luckett, born in Port Tobacco, Charles County, Maryland in 1711, was the son of Samuel and Ann [Smott] Luckett. His father died when he was a minor. In 1725 he was ordered by the court to be placed under the care of James Middleton who was to teach young Luckett a profession.

Sometime before 1740, William Luckett married Charity Middleton, daughter of John and Mary [Wheeler] Middleton and they were given land in Prince George's County. His home in Bladensburg bumed in 1749.

One of the first times that William Luckett's name would appear in relation to Frederick County history would be on a petition dated October 16, 1742 to Governor Thomas Bladen seeking the creation of Frederick County through division of Prince George's County.

He owned a 498-acre tract of land known as Meredith's Hunting Quarters, located near modern day Point of Rocks, and operated a ferry. The town of Lucketts in northern Virginia is named after this branch of the Luckett family.

During the French and Indian War, Luckett served as a Captain and raised his entire company from the Frederick area. In 1767, he served as a member of the House of Delegates in Annapolis.

In 1775, he was a member of the Committee of Observation. In 1776, he became a lieutenant colonel of the Maryland Militia. His primary role was evaluating new recruits. William Luckett died in late 1782.

Judge Charles Jones

Charles Jones was born about 1727.

He lived in the lower part of the Potomac Hundred along Rock Creek. He was a justice of the Frederick County Court from 1756-1775 and served in the Lower House of the Maryland Assembly from 1769-1770.

In 1775, he was appointed by the Committee of Correspondence to solicit subscriptions for the purpose of purchasing arms and ammunition. He was a witness for numerous land transactions in Frederick County.

He is listed as one of the representatives for Montgomery County (formed 1776) for the Maryland Council of Safety in 1777.

Judge David Lynn

David Lynn was born about 1698 in County Antrim, Ireland. He migrated to the Maryland colony around 1717. Lynn married Elizabeth Copeland in 1746 and they had eight children.

In 1751, he was appointed to a committee that would be in charge of laying out Georgetown, named after King George II. David Lynn was a judge of the Frederick County court from 1756 to 1776. He represented the county for several terms in the Lower House of the Maryland Assembly.

In 1776, Montgomery County was founded as a separate county and Lynn became a judge in that county. In 1777, he transitioned into the position of judge of the Orphans Court until 1779 when he passed away

Judge Lynn's son, Captain David Lynn, was one of the charter members of the order of the American Cincinnati; one of the founders of the Emmanuel Protestant Episcopal Church; and he constructed Rose Hill in Cumberland in 1801. Captain David Lynn enlisted in the Flying Camp in 1776. He then became a lieutenant in the Seventh Regiment of the Maryland Regulars. Apparently he was close with General George Washington since David Lynn entertained him at his home. He would have another famous relative but not until much later also named David Lynn, who would be appointed by President Calvin Coolidge as architect of the capitol.

Judge Thomas Price

Thomas Price was born September 3, 1732 probably in Philadelphia. His parents were John and Rebecca [King] Price. Thomas Price married Mary and had ten children. It is believed he migrated to the Frederick County area around 1754. Price operated a hatter business in Frederick Town but he also owned a plantation in Frederick County and later he became a planter. His name appears on many old Frederick County documents.

In 1759, he served as a company captain during the French and Indian War.

He was a member of the Committee of Correspondence in 1774 and the Committee of Observation in 1775. He had a long military career. Thomas Price was named captain of one of the two Maryland Rifle companies rushed to Boston in 1775 to aid Washington in the siege of that town. In January, 1776 he is listed as major in Colonel William Smallwood's Maryland Regiment which was stationed in Annapolis.

He became a colonel of the 2nd Regiment Maryland Line in which he enlisted on December 10, 1776. He resigned this commission on April 31, 1780.

At the time of his death in 1795, Thomas Price owned land in Frederick County, Sharpsburg (Washington County), and Hamburgh (Prince George's County).

Judge James Dickson

James Dickson was born before 1718 based on deeds showing him acquiring land in 1739. He was married to Ann Darnall, the daughter of John Darnall, the first clerk of the Frederick County Court. They did not have any children.

In 1742, Dickson was one of the signatories to a petition to form Frederick County.

He served as undersheriff to John Thomas in the first Frederick County court in 1748. Documents from 1759 show Dickson as Sheriff for Frederick County.

Dickson was a steward at Monocacy Manor, a 10,000-acre tract of land along the Monocacy River. He was responsible for the collection of rents for the Lord Proprietor.

In 1765, he served on the court as a Justice. His name is seen frequently as a witness on old deeds. James Dickson died before 1773

Judge William Blair

William Blair was born about 1730 of Scots-Irish descent. His parentage has not been determined. He married Hannah Alexander (1731-1818) and they had at least six children.

He and his family lived in the northern part of Frederick County near the Pennsylvania border. Blair served as a judge on the Frederick County Court from 1763-1765.

William Blair was chosen chairperson of a meeting held on August 28, 1770 at Tom's Creek in upper Frederick County. All who participated in this meeting reaffirmed their rights, the right to religion and free speech (political) given them by Lord Baltimore.

He served as captain of the Game Cock Company formed from men living in the Tom's Creek Hundred.

He was appointed by the Committee of Correspondence to solicit money for arms and ammunitions. William Blair was appointed judge for the Orphan's Court on July 4, 1777 and a Court Justice on November 21, 1778. He died on November 26, 1778 and left behind his wife Hannah and his children Elizabeth, Mary, Naomi, Hannah, Samuel, and John. He is believed to be buried in the Emmitsburg Presbyterian Cemetery.

Judge Samuel Beall

Samuel Beall was born in 1713 in what was at the time part of Prince George's County. He was the son of John and Verlinda [Magruder] Beall.

He married Eleanor Brooke on May 23, 1734 in Prince George's County, the daughter of Thomas Brooke, Jr. and Lucy Smith. They had thirteen known children, perhaps as many as sixteen.

Beall was a planter by trade and a member of the Anglican Church. He and three business partners (David Ross, Joseph Chapline, and Richard Henderson) purchased land to construct an ironworks, a furnace, and forge at the mouth of Antietam Creek. This was the first iron forge in Maryland. It would eventually cast cannons for the Continental Army.

He served as sheriff of Frederick County in 1753-1756 and was a collector of land tax from 1759-1762. He served as a justice for the Frederick County Court from 1763-1775.

Beall and his family moved to Kelly's Purchase, a 264-acre tract north of Sharpsburg, in 1769 to manage operations at Frederick Forge.

He was a militia colonel from 1761-1776 and served on the Committee of Correspondence and the Committee of Observation. Samuel Beall died in September, 1777 and his will went to probate in Washington County on January 10, 1778.

One of Samuel Beall's slaves was Yarrow Mamout, a fairly well-documented individual who eventually earned his freedom, lived in Georgetown and sat for two portraits

Judge Josiah Beall

Josiah Beall was the son of John and Verlinda [Magruder] Beall and the younger brother of Samuel Beall. He was born on May 4, 1715 in Prince George's County.

He married prior to 1744 as evidenced by the will of his mother written in 1745. However, the name of his wife has not been determined. They had at least six children.

Josiah Beall owned land in what is today Washington DC and just to the north in Rock Creek Park. In 1748 he was commissioned an officer in Captain George Beall's Troop of Horse, a militia unit.

He was a tobacco inspector at Rock Creek from 1748-1750. Also during 1748, he served as Frederick County's coroner. His appearance as a justice would be in the months of August and November in 1750. In 1751, Beall was appointed a commissioner to layout the new community of Georgetown and he acquired four lots in the town. Beall was sheriff of Frederick County from 1752-1753 and served in the Lower House of the Maryland Assembly from 1754-1757.

The Maryland Assembly appointed Josiah Beall an Associate Justice and Commissioner of Frederick County for the years 1749-1752, 1763-1765, and again in 1768, a position he filled until his death on August 1, 1768.

Judge Andrew Heugh

Andrew Heugh was born in Scotland around 1727. His parentage has not been determined.

He immigrated to Maryland before 1748 as indicated by the census of that year. He resided in the lower part of the Potomac Hundred which would later be part of Montgomery County. He was a merchant by trade.

He married Sarah Needham on October 14, 1751 in Rock Creek Parish of Frederick County. They had several children.

He served as a justice in Frederick County from 1754-1775. In 1765, the year the Stamp Act would be repudiated he was also the coroner of Frederick County.

From 1769-1770, Heugh served in the Lower House of the Maryland Assembly.

After the Revolutionary War, he was a justice in Montgomery County from 1787-1788. At the time of his death, he owned 500 acres of land in Montgomery County and had property in Scotland probably inherited from his father. He died on June 22, 1791 in Montgomery County.

Judge Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith served as a Justice for Frederick County from 1753-1759 and again in 1763. By 1761 he owned over 500 acres of land in present-day Washington County. In 1768, Smith was part of a group charged with developing a road from Antietam to Captain Luckett's Ferry at the mouth of the Monocacy.

He was a member of the Committee of Observation in 1775. On January 6, 1776, Smith was appointed lieutenant colonel in the 36th battalion of Maryland Militia and was promoted to colonel on April 20, 1776. As a colonel, his job was similar to William Luckett's, evaluating and passing new recruits. He is listed as a colonel in Washington County on June 22, 1778. In 1799, in the constitution of Maryland he is listed as one of the election judges for Washington County.

Copy of Resolutions and Opinion of the Court of Frederick, Maryland November Term, 1765

Original Newspaper Article from October 1765

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