Born
Born in England. Little is known of his early life before he came among Friends and traveled to the Caribbean.
WL
1620–1661 · Barbados (via England)
William Leddra
One of four Quaker martyrs executed in Boston
Life & Ministry
Arrives in Barbados
Among the early Quaker missionaries to the Caribbean. Barbados became a staging ground for Friends traveling to the American colonies.
Arrives in New England
Traveled from Barbados to New England to bear witness to the Quaker message despite the severe anti-Quaker laws passed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Execution in Boston
Hanged on Boston Common on March 14, 1661, for returning to Massachusetts after banishment. He was the fourth and last Quaker to be executed in Boston, following William Robinson, Marmaduke Stephenson, and Mary Dyer.
Connections & Relationships
MF
Mary Fisher
Fellow New England MissionaryFisher was among the first Quakers to reach Massachusetts in 1655, paving the way for the missionaries who followed — including Leddra, who paid with his life.
GF
George Fox
Movement FounderFox's preaching inspired the wave of Quaker missionaries who traveled to New England despite the threat of execution. The Boston martyrdoms became central to Quaker identity.
Available Works
Epistle from Prison (Written Before His Execution)
ProposedLeddra's final letter, written the night before his hanging, is one of the most powerful documents of Quaker witness — a testimony of serene faith and willingness to suffer for the truth.
Memoir of William Leddra
ProposedA biographical account published in Friends' Library Vol. VII, documenting Leddra's journey from England to Barbados to Boston and his martyrdom.