d by a
presentation of all the facts, some light may be thrown upon his
general character, and explanations, if not a defence, of his acts may
be made.

Richard Ingle's name first appears in the records of Maryland under
date of March 23rd, 1641/2, when he petitioned the Assembly against
Giles Brent touching the serving of an execution by the sheriff. He
had come to the province a few weeks before, bringing in his vessel
Captain Thomas Cornwallis, one of the original council, the greatest
man in Maryland at that time, who had been spending some months in
England.[3] Between the time of his arrival and the date of his
petition Ingle had no doubt been plying his business, tobacco trading,
in the inlets and rivers of the province. No further record of him in
Maryland this year has been preserved, but Winthrop wrote that on May
3rd, 1642, "The ship Eleanor of London one Mr. || Inglee || master
arrived at Boston she was laden with tobacco from Virginia, and having
been about 14 days at sea she was taken with such a tempest, that
though all her sails were down and made up, yet they were blown from
the yards and she was laid over on one side two and a half hours, so
low as the water stood upon her deck and the sea over-raking her
continually and the day was as dark as if it had been night, and
though they had cut her masts, yet she righted not till the tempest
assuaged. She staid here till the 4th of the (4) and was well fitted
with masts, sails, rigging and victuals at such reasonable rates as
that the master was much affected with his entertainment and professed
that he never found the like usage in Virginia where he had traded
these ten years."[4] Although his name is given an additional _e_ and
there are some few seeming discrepancies, the facts taken together
point to the probability of his being Richard Ingle on his return
voyage to England. Next year he was again in Maryland, and, as
attorney for Mr. Penniston and partners, sued widow Cockshott for
debts incurred by her husband. The next entry in the "Provincial
Records" under this date, March 6th, 1642/3, is an attachment against
William Hardige in case of Captain Cornwallis.[5] This William
Hardige, who was afterward one of Ingle's chief accusers, was very
frequently involved in suits for debts to Cornwallis, and others.
About the middle of the month of January, 1643/4, the boatswain of
the "Reformation" brought against Hardige a suit for tobacco,
returnable Februar