University of Virginia Library

CDXXXVII. A. Council and Assembly. Laws and Orders[2]
March 5, 1623/4

Lawes & Orders conc * * * by the Councill [&] Assemblie

Marche the 5th Anno 1623

1

• That there shalbe in every Plantatione, wher the people vse to meete for
  ye worshipp of God, [a house] or Roome sequestred for yt purpose, And not
  to be for any temporall vse whatsoeuer, and a place e[mpaled in,] sequestred
  onlye to the buryall of the dead.

2

• That whosoeuer shall absent him selfe from devine service any Sounday
  wthowt an alowable e[xcuse] shall forfeit a pownde of Tobacco, and he yt
  absenteth himselfe a moneth shall forfect 50ll͠ of Tobacco.

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3

• That there be an vniformitie in our Church as neere as may be, to the
  Canons in Englande both in [substance] and Circumstance and that all
  p̱sones yeeld redie obedience vnto them vnder paine of Censure.

4

• That ye 22th of march be yeerly solemnized as hollidaye, and all other
  hollidayℯ (except when they fa[ll] two together betwixt the feast of ye
  Annuntiatione of ye blessed Virgine and St michaell Theark[angell,] then
  only the first to be observed by reasone of our necessities.

5

• That no minister be absent from his Cure aboue two monethℯ in all ye
  yeere vppon penaltie of forfectinge ha[lfe his] meanes, and whosoeuer shall
  absent his aboue fowre monethℯ in the yeere shall forfect his whole meanℯ
  and [Cure.]

6

• That whosoever shall disparage a Minister wthout bringinge sufficyent
  proofe to iustifie his reportℯ, w[here by] ye mindes of his p̱ishioners may be
  alienated from him, and his Ministery proue the lesse efectuall by theire
  p̢iudicat[ion,] shall not only pay 500ll͠ waight of tobacco, but also aske ye
  minister so wronged forgiuenes publiquely in the Congregation.

7

• That no man dispose of any of his tobacco before the Minister be satisfied,
  vppon paine of forfecture duble his [part] of ye ministers meanes, and one
  man of eury plant' to Collect his meanes owt of ye firste & best Tobacco
  and Corne.

8

• That the Gou9nor shall not laye any taxes or ympositiones vppon ye
  Colony, theire landes or comodities otherwy[se] then by the awthoritie of ye
  generall Assemblie, to be levied and ymployed as the saide Assembly shall
  appoynt.

9

• The Gou9nor shall nott wthdrawe the inhabitantℯ from theire privatt
  labours to any service of his owne vp[on] any couler wtsoeuer, and in case
  the publique service require ymploymentℯ of many handes before ye hold-
  ingℯ of a generall Assemblie, to give order for ye same, in that case the
  leviinge of men shalbe donne by order of the Gou9nor and whole bodye of
  the Counsell and yt in such sorte as to be least burthensome to the People
  and most free from partialitie.

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10

• That all ye olde planters, yt were heere before, or cam in at ye laste
  cominge of Sr. Tho: Gates they and theire posteritie shalbe exempted from
  theire p̱sonall service to ye warrℯ, and any publique charge (Church dewties
  excepted) that belongℯ p̱ticularly to their p̱sones, (not exemptinge theire
  families) except such as shalbe ymployd to comande in Cheif.

11

• That noe burgesses of ye generall Assembly shalbe arested dwringe ye
  tyme of ye assemblie, a weeke before & a weeke after, vppon paine of ye
  creditors forfecture of his dept, & such punishment vppon the officer as the Courte shall awarde.

12

• That there shalbe courtes kept once a moneth in ye Corporations of
  Charles Cyttie & Elizabeth Cyttie for the decydinge of suitℯ and Contro-
  versies not exceedinge the valew of one hundred pownde of Tobacco, and
  for punishinge of pettie offences, That the Comanders of the places and such
  others as the Gou9nor and Counsell shall appoynte by Comissione shalbe
  the iudges, wth reservatione of Apeale after sentence to ye Gou9nor and
  Counsell, and whosoeuer shall Apeale yf he be heere caste in suite shall
  paye duble damages, The Comanders to be of the quorum and sentenc
  to be given by the maior p̱ties.

13

• That every privatt planters devident shalbe surveyed and laide out in
  severall, and ye boundes recorded by the survey[or;] yf there be any pettie
  differences betwixt neighbours about theire devidentℯ to be devided by the
  surveyor, yf of [much] importance to be referred to ye Gou9nor and Counsell:
  ye surveyor to haue 10li of tobacco vppon every hundred Acres.

14

• For the encoragment of men to plant store of Corne, the prise shall not
  be stinted, but it shalbe ffree for every man to sell it, as deere as he cann.

15

• That there shalbe in every Parish a publique Garnery vnto wch there
  shalbe contributed for e[very] planter exceedinge the adge of 18[3] yeerℯ alive
  at the Crop after he hath bene heere a yeere a bu[shell] of Corne, the wch
  shalbe disposed for the publique vses of every parish by the maior p̱te of
  [the] ffreemen, the remainder yeerly to be taken out by the owners at St Tho:
  his day and the new bu[shell] to be putt in the roome.

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16

• That three sufficyent men of every p̱ish shalbe sworne to see yt euery
  man shall plant & tende suffycient [of Corne] for his family, those men that
  haue neclected soe to doe are to be by the saide three men p̢sented to be
  C[ensured by] the Gou9nor and Counsell.

17

• That all trade for Corne wth the Salvages aswell publique as privatt after
  June next sha[lbe prohibited.]

18

• That every freeman shall fence in a quarter of an Acre of grounde before
  Whitsuntide next [to make a garden] for plantinge of Vines hearbs rootes
  &c. sub pena tenn pownde of Tobacco a man, but that [no man for his]owne
  family shalbe tyed to fence aboue an Acre of Lande, and yt whosoeuer hath
  fenced a gar[den and ]ted of the lande shalbe paide for it by the
  owner of the soyle; they shall also plant Mu[lberry trees.]

19

• The Proclamationℯ for Swearinge and drunkennes sett owt by the
  Gou9nor and Counsell [are confirmed by] this assembly, and it is further
  ordered that the Churchwardens shalbe sworne to [p̢sent them to the] Coman-
  ders of every plantatione, and that the forfecturℯ shalbe Collected by them
  [to be] for publique vses.

20

• That A proclamatione be red aboorde every shipp and afterwardes fixed
  to the mastℯ of [such ] in, prohibitinge them to break boulke or
  make privatt sales of any Comodities, untill [ ] James Cyttie,
  wthowt specyall order from the Gou9nor and Counsell.

21

• [That the proclamation of the] rates of Comodities be still in force and that
  there bee [some men] in every Plantacyone to Censure the Tobacco.

22

• That there be no waightes nor measures vsed, but such as shalbe Sealed
  by officers Appoynted for that purpose.

23

• That every dwellinge Howse shalbe Pallyzadoed in for defence againste
  the Indyans.

24

• That no man goe or sende Abroade wthowte a Sufficyent p̱tie well
  armed.

25

• That men goe nott to woorke in the grounde wthowt theire armes (and
  a Centynell vppon them.)

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26

• That ye inhabitans goe nott aboorde shippℯ or vppon any other occasions
  in such numbers, as therby to weaken and endanger the Plantatione.

27

• That the Comander of every Plantatione take care that there be Suffi-
  cyent of powder and munitione wthin the Plantatione vnder his Comande,
  and theire peeces fixt & theire armes Compleat.

28

• That there be dew watch kept by night.

29

• That noe Comander of any Plantat' do either him selfe or suffer others
  to spend powder vnnecessarily in drinking or Entertainementℯ, &c.

30

• That such p̱ersones of qualitie as shalbe fownde delinquent in their
  dewties beinge not fitt to vndergoe corporall punishment may notwth-
  standing be ymprisoned at the discretione of the Comander, and for greater
  offences to be subiect to a fine inflicted by ye mounthly Courte, soe yt it
  excede not the valew aforsaide.

31

• That every man that hath not Contributed to the findinge a man at the
  Castell shall paye for himself and servantℯ 5 pownd of Tobacco a head,
  towardℯ the discharge of such as had theire servantℯ there.

32

• That at the begininge of July next the Inhabitantℯ of every Corpora-
  tione shall falle vppon theire adioyninge Salvages as we did the last yeere,
  those that shalbe hurte vppon service to be cured at ye publique Charge,
  in case any be lamed to be mantayned by the Country accordinge to his
  p̱sone and qualitie.

33

• That for defrayinge of such Publique depte or troubles haue brought
  vppon us, there shalbe levied 10 pownd of Tobacco vppon every male
  head aboue sixteene yeers of adge now livinge (not including such as arived
  since the begininge of July laste.)

34

• That no p̱son wthin this Colonie vppon the rumor of supposed change
  and alteratione p̢sume to be disobedient to the p̢sente Gou9ment, nor
  servantℯ to theire privatt officers masters or overseers, at their vttermost
  p̱ills.

35

• That Mr John Pountis Counseller of State, goℯ into Englande (beinge
  willinge by or intreatie to accept of that Imployment to solicyte the generall
  

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  cause of the Country to his matie & ye Counsell, Towardℯ the Charges of
  wch Vioadge the Country Consentℯ to pay for every male head aboue
  sixteene yeerℯ of adge then livinge wch haue been heere a yeere fowre
  pownde of the best marchantable Tobacco in leafe at or before the last
  of october next.

Subscript p̱

Sr. Frauncis wyatt knight Gou9nor, &c.

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