With so many parks, monuments and important buildings named after famous New Brunswickers from our rich history, one would think ours was a land of Saints and Scholars. The truth is we have our share of rogues as well and Henry Moon was perhaps the greatest of them all. Dubbed "The Lunar Rogue" by maritime author Barbara Grantmyre, we thought it a fitting name for our Maritime Pub. This week we begin a series of articles chronicling the fascinating story of this amazing character from our history.

In 1815 while awaiting the hangman's noose in New Brunswick's Kingston Jail, he claimed his real name was Henry Moon. The gravity of his situation may have lent credibility to his assertion but he had been convicted under the name of Henry More Smith, and had on various other occasions claimed to be Henry Moore or William Newman. Details about his origins are sketchy and come from a very unreliable source, himself! He claimed to have been born in England and educated at Cambridge. The last record of him was in 1835 when he was imprisoned for burglary in the Toronto Jail under the name of Smith.

A thorough rogue, he lied cheated and robbed his way through this area of New Brunswick 200 years ago. There is no record of a single kind or honest act on his part and yet neither is there recorded any act of violence. It is perhaps the absence of this character trait that has allowed us to view him with tolerance, through the passage of time, as a most remarkable character. Just how remarkable will await the next installment.