FRESH STUFF DAILY
Seacoast New Hampshire
& South Coast Maine
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
|
|
| |
|
|
|
fd0
viagra propecia without prescription viagra online cialis 5 mg candadian farmacy get viagra cheapest daily cialis canada pharmacy no prescription viagra from canada buy daily cialis viagra for sale buy viagra canada free cialis Pharmacy Suopport Team viagra from canadian cialis 5 mg cheap online viagra canadian pharmacy no prescription cialis generic buy 5mg propecia usa cialis or viagra canadian cialis canada viagra canadian levitra propecia without prescription levitra without a prescription online viagra online cialis propecia without prescription online viagra prescription pharmacy canadian pharmacy no prescription
0
|
The Devil With Jonathan Moulton
|
 |
 |
|
Written by J. Dennis Robinson
|
|
Page 1 of 2 
TALES OF HAMPTON
Take a lesson. Gen. Jonathan Moulton was a Revolutionary War hero. But he flaunted his wealth in the poor Puritan town of Hampton, NH. He made too many locals angry when he curried favor with the British and married a second young wife. Townspeople said he was in league with the devil – and the story stuck.
SEE: The Moulton House
READ ALSO: The Stone Throwing Devil
 Have you heard the story of poor Jonathan Moulton? Resourceful and ambitious, Moulton became the wealthiest man in Hampton, some say in the whole state of New Hampshire. No man could get so rich so fast, the townsfolk whispered, unless he had made a deal with the evil. That’s how people talk when a man builds a grand mansion in a poor Puritan town. When Moulton’s house burned down suddenly in 1769, legend claimed, the devil had taken revenge on Moulton. When Gen. John Moulton (1726-1787) rebuilt the mansion and, at 50, married the 36-year old friend of his recently dead wife – tongues truly began to wag. Moulton’s first wife had born him 11 children, they complained, and now he was flaunting his trophy bride. When the General finally died at 61 his body disappeared from the coffin. The devil, people agreed, had spirited him away.
A century later our friend John Greenleaf Whittier picked up the Hampton story. Fascinated by New Hampshire and by the trendy study of spiritualism, Whittier often combined Hampton and the supernatural in his wildly popular ballads. A century after Moulton's death, the poet published "The New Wife and the Old". In the poem Moulton's second wife Sarah Emery wakes on her wedding night to discover the ghost of her former friend Abigail Moulton who had died less than a year before of smallpox. In the poem, Abigail returns to the marriage bed to reclaim her wedding ring which the penurious Mr. Moulton had recycled to his second wife.
It’s a powerful image. A glowing white wife, clatters up the mansion stairs, to reclaim her jewelry after 28 years of marriage. She peels the ring off her best friend's hand while Moulton snores nearby. Then the old wife disappears under the marriage bed filling the new wife with shock and awe.
Equally powerful is the often-told Hampton legend of Moulton and the devil. According to the story, the wealthy Hampton land-owner agrees to give up his soul if Beelzebub will fill the man’s boots with gold doubloons each month. Always the businessman, the fictional Moulton has larger and larger boots custom-made, which he hangs just inside the fireplace. Each month he finds them brimful of gold which the devil has deposited down the chimney. Obsessed with greed, Moulton tricks the devil further by cutting holes in the toes of the boots. The devil, sticking to his bargain, tries to fill them just the same. The coins pour out the bottom of the boots, filling Moulton’s kitchen so deep with gold that the door cannot be opened. It is only when the devil discovers he has been duped that he sets fire to the Moulton home. In reality, Moulton, his family and guests, barely escape the blaze.
The legends serve both literary and social functions. They are macabre and leveling, allowing those citizens who Moulton outstripped to explain away his success. They restore balance. Men who gain too much wealth, love and power will certainly be brought low because cheaters never prosper. This image of justice as a rotating "wheel of fortune", prevalent in Medieval literature, is at the heart of many of Shakespeare’s plays that followed in the Elizabethan era. The Puritans had a powerful sense of justice, a justice often harsh and meted out by men in the name of God. Hampton, a town formed by Puritan settlers, held strongly to the believe that anyone who rocked the boat, was risking an eternity in Hell.
CONTINUE Legends of Jonathan Moulton
<< Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>
|
Please visit these SeacoastNH.com ad partners.
Portsmouth Herald
|
Portsmouth Herald Latest Headlines
|
| Portsmouth Herald News from SeacoastOnline.com |
-
UNH football rallies past Maine to secure playoff spot
DURHAM — Another year, another trip to the Division I playoffs for the University of New Hampshire football team.Another year, another excruciating loss for Maine.
-
UNH hockey powers past Terriers
DURHAM — The play of the University of New Hampshire men's hockey team special teams looked, well, special, Friday night against Boston University.
-
Father-son coaches creating legacy with Winnacunnet football
HAMPTON — If nothing else, Winnacunnet High School has proven that two Steve Magris are better than one when it comes to coaching football.
-
Bergeron wins it for B's in OT
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Patrice Bergeron scored with 47 seconds left in overtime, lifting the Boston Bruins to a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
-
NFL's premier corner Revis mans up on Moss again
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Darrelle Revis has heard enough about his last matchup with Randy Moss. The New York Jets cornerback just wants to move on to the next one.
-
Emotional home finale for UNH football
DURHAM — One year ago this week, University of New Hampshire strong safety Terrence Klein intercepted two late passes to preserve a snowy 28-24 win at Maine, more proof that...
-
Carter, Magic drop Celtics
BOSTON — Vince Carter scored 26 points, Rashard Lewis had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics 83-78 on Friday night.
-
Portsmouth says stimulus jobs overstated by White House
PORTSMOUTH — While federal stimulus dollars flowing into the city may help both causes and the economy, at least one local project echoes concerns expressed nationwide about the accuracy of...
-
Joseph Popluhar
TAMPA, Fla. — Mr. Joseph Popluhar, 71, of Tampa, formerly of Portsmouth, N.H., beloved husband of Marjorie (Hunt) Popluhar, died Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009, in Florida.
-
Turkey Trot 5K in Portsmouth on Thanksgiving morning
PORTSMOUTH — Thanksgiving is one of the most charitable times of the year. If you're in the giving mood, why not get a little exercise, too?
-
Marshwood Middle School parents told 58 of 60 kids accepted unknown Facebook friend
ELIOT, Maine — Marshwood Middle School parents were shocked to learn from Internet expert Jayne Hitchcock Thursday evening that 58 of 60 middle school honors students accepted her as a...
-
Newington tax rate drops, but selectman chides state lawmakers
NEWINGTON — Town taxpayers will pay a lower tax rate for 2009, but the chairman of the Board of Selectmen announced the good news with some concerns for state politicians.
-
Memorial Bridge re-opens
PORTSMOUTH — The Memorial Bridge reopened ahead of schedule on Friday following a month of repairs that forced motorists to seek alternative routes between the city and Kittery, Maine.
-
Bakers bustling for Sunday's pie festival
GREENLAND — Judy Alix laughed excitedly. "Thirty made, only 470 more to go!" she exclaimed.
-
3-car crash on Woodbury Ave.
PORTSMOUTH — A three-car, chain-reaction crash snarled lunch hour traffic Friday on Woodbury Avenue and sent a Maine man to Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
-
Runner's Alley helps racer achieve her goals
I would like to thank Janine and the staff at Runner's Alley for their great work in this community. Their contribution, enthusiasm and encouragement are a shining example of what...
-
John R. Genthner
HAMPTON FALLS — John Richard Genthner, born Jan. 28, 1943, in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, died peacefully Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, after a long illness. He was surrounded by...
-
Thumbs up to preservation, determination
Thumbs up to the heirs of Mary McIntire Davis for selling a 239-acre parcel of salt marsh and forest along the York River to the York Land Trust ,and to...
-
New Generation raises $10,000 with golf tourney
The New Generation Golf tournament was held at Breakfast Hill Golf Club. With the help of all those who supported it, we made more than $10,000.
-
Memorial is a N.H. bridge; Herald must act to save it
Sitting a couple of hundred miles up the Maine coast, there isn't anyone who knows or cares about our bridge. They've got their own big-time problems that aren't getting fixed.
|
|
|
|
|
| Saturday, November 21, 2009 |
|
|
|
