Dyer, Mary (?-1660), a colonist from England, became a martyr (one who dies for religious beliefs) for the Quaker faith. With her husband, William, she arrived in Massachusetts about 1635. Because of religious intolerance, the couple later moved to Rhode Island.
In 1652, Mary Dyer returned to England and joined the Society of Friends, or Quakers. In 1657, she came back to America. She was arrested repeatedly for “bearing witness to her faith.” Finally, in Boston, she was convicted of sedition (causing rebellion) and hanged on June 1, 1660.
