From 1660 to 1665, Pieter Tonneman was the sheriff (schout) of New Amsterdam. Born in 1590, he was part of a civilian militia in Amsterdam before he arrived in New Netherland. His militia is depicted in the this painting, although it is not sure which soldier serves as a depiction of Tonneman.
Before his term as the sheriff in Nieuw-Amsterdam, he had served in the same position for the town of Breuckelen (Brooklyn). He was the first proper sheriff of New Amsterdam, as his predecessor Nicasius de Sille had combined the office with that of fiscal. Unlike De Sille, Tonneman only had jurisdiction over New Amsterdam. He also had to answer to De Sille. As a sheriff, he had to deal with serious cases, ranging from crimes such as theft and domestic violence, to lesser offences, such as alleged misconduct in the production of bread.
Detail of New Netherlands
For instance, in 1661, Tonneman accused baker Antony de Milt of deliberately making his bread too light. De Milt maintained his innocence, stating that this happened due to an error in the baking process. The two burgomasters and the five aldermen nevertheless sentenced him to a fine of one hundred and fifty guilders.
Tonneman also attempted to enforce public morality; He persecuted tappers for selling alcohol on a Sunday. He also fined colonists who would serve beer to enslaved Africans, as that was strictly forbidden. In 1662, Tonneman even demanded that Geertje Teunis, an innkeeper, would be suspended from the trade because she provided Mattheu, an enslaved man in the service of Cornelis Steenwijck, with beer on a Sunday.
Pieter Tonneman gives us a glimpse of the enforcement of justice within New Amsterdam. He was responsible for the enforcement of a wide range of laws, some of which excluded other residents of the colony.
Learn about Pieter Tonneman en het Stadhuis