He had been a justice of the peace in that county (Burgess) and decided to form an extralegal court to sentence the Loyalists with punishment for their treachery. Arr! It makes me feel like a pirate to phrase it this way. Arr! Treacherous dogs!

Lynch was later pardoned by the state legislature for overstepping his authority.

So, kids, this is where we get the term lynch and the idea of "Lynch Law" although it's meaning has evolved over the years since 1780.