Local History Talk: The Second Public Hanging of Ruth Blay

On December 30, 1768, Ruth Blay was hanged in Portsmouth's South Street Cemetery, having been convicted of the crime of concealing the birth of her illegitimate child. She was victim of her gender, of her class, and of the laws of her time. More than 250 years later, women still experience gender injustice, wage discrimination, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Ruth's story resonates with many in Portsmouth; first and foremost is Carolyn Marvin, author of Hanging Ruth Blay: An Eighteenth-Century New Hampshire Tragedy. The penultimate scholar on Ruth Blay, Ms. Marvin is the keeper of Ruth's story in Portsmouth.

Also inspired was a group of local volunteers working on the Portsmouth400 project. A few years ago, they started planning a memorial to Ruth and a day of programming. When Portsmouth400 planning halted, they stayed the course. Friends of Ruth Blay was founded in March 2021, and the mural of Ruth was unveiled on July 26th of this year. Please join us as Ms. Carolyn Marvin, Laura Brown, President of FORB, Terrence Parker, Vice President of FORB, and Nancy Pearson, Secretary of FORB, offer Ruth Blay's story and how the mural of her on State Street came to be.

Registration is required. This event is free and open to all. 

Carolyn Marvin’s interest in the story of Ruth Blay began while she was working as a research librarian at the Portsmouth Athenaeum, a job from which she is semi-retired. This interest led Carolyn to pen the book Hanging Ruth Blay: An Eighteenth-Century New Hampshire Tragedy. She has also worked in both public and school libraries and has been a resident of Portsmouth since 1976. Carolyn earned a degree in American Studies from George Washington University.

Friends of Ruth Blay, Inc. is a New Hampshire nonprofit corporation dedicated to raising awareness of and action around equity and justice issues in the Portsmouth community. Ruth Blay, the last woman executed in the state of New Hampshire, was hanged in 1768 for concealing the stillborn birth of her illegitimate child. With the "History Through Art" initiative, Friends of Ruth Blay supports pubic art installations of marginalized historic Portsmouth figures. Friends of Ruth Blay, Inc. has applied for 501(c)(3) status and can be found at friendsofruthblay.org.