From its inception and through the 18th century, pasturage was a source of wealth in Rochester. Indeed, when the lands that would become Rochester belonged to Plymouth, the profits earned from the uplands and meadows were used for the support of Plymouth’s school. In the early days of Rochester, the town fathers spent much of their meeting times dealing with roaming animals and the damage they often inflicted on private pastures and gardens.
Laws or acts were created to keep ” Sheep-rams” within limits and “swine properly yoaked and ringed” as these animals ran free over common lands and beyond. In 1726, it was determined that notices of “RAM or Rames” running wild should be posted in five specific areas around the town.
The discussion of these laws and regulations was so common that Timothy Ruggles, Jr. was able, as a practical joke, to get a law passed that would require all men who owned swine should have their noses ringed. The vote had to be recast to make it applicable to the animals and not the owners.
Because of all these mischievous, roaming animals, it was necessary early on to create a town pound. Almost every town in Massachusetts had a pound in their early years. However, Rochester’s Town Pound on Snipatuit Road is one of the few left in the state. According to L.C. Humphrey, this pound was constructed in 1711. Its purpose was to hold stray animals and livestock until their owners who had to pay damages and/or fees before their animals could claim them would be released.
Since one sheep or pig looks much like another, farmers clipped animals’ ears in distinctive ways. These were called the Ancient Marks of the Beast. Starting around 1732, many pages of records were kept of these distinguishing marks. It listed marks such as a crop or half crop on the “nere ear” or “two pennies ” under the ear as well as many others. In 1778, it was recorded that David Dexter marked his cattle with “two slits in the end of the left ear” which was the same mark that Caleb Dexter, his grandfather, had used in the past.
Animal pounds, particularly ones that might hold horses or cattle, were generally made from heavy stones with six-foot high walls. In the 1960s, the Rochester Pound, under the auspices of the Conservation Commission, was restored by Maxwell Lawrence an expert stonewall restorer.
Of course, a pound needs a pound-keeper. From the Laws of the Colony of New Plymouth: ” It is enacted by the Court that whatsoever meat cattle horse kind sheep or swine henceforth impounded for Trespass or damage done that the person that owneth the said cattle sheep swine or horse kind doe give to the poundkeeper Cecurities, to satisfy the damages done by them for which they were impounded: VIZ Ingage before two witnesses or give under his hand to the keeper of the pound to satisfy such just and legall damages as abovesaid: and the pound Keeper that releaseth such beasts alsoe satisfied for his impounding of them.”
The first listed Pound Keeper was Elisha Barrows in 1739. He turned the job over to Nathan Nye in 1776. In the next 10 years, there were 10 different men who acted as keepers, along with those whose names appear more than once. As time passes, the list goes from having four pound-keepers at a time to two in 1888 and this continued until 1918 when George C. Bennett became keeper. He served in this capacity until his death in 1953, at which time the list ends. The pound has been out of service for many years, but it remains a fascinating reminder of history past.
Note: as you can see, spelling has changed a lot since the 1700s.
By Connie Eshbach