The word "martial", contained in Dale's Code, refers to the duties of soldiers, while the terms "divine" and "morall" relate to crime and punishment.

The code prescribed capital punishment for any colonist who endangered the life of the colony by theft or other crimes.

[4] Two severe punishments under Dale's Code were: an oatmeal-thief was chained to a tree and left to starve; a pregnant Anne Laydon (nee Burras) was whipped for "sewing shirts too short" and miscarried.

Four centuries later, one scholar came up with a theory that it strongly influenced the justice system for decades afterwards, particularly in the governing and punishment of slaves.

[7] In the "Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 1, 1574-1660," the following unattributed commentary on the code is present: On 12 May following [1611] arrived Sir Thos.