Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Henry County (Va.) Commonwealth Causes, 1856-1859. Local government records collection, Henry County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in transfers of court papers from Henry County.

Historical Information

Henry County was named for Patrick Henry, revolutionary leader and the first governor of the commonwealth of Virginia. It was formed from Pittsylvania County in 1776.

Courts of Oyer and Terminer (hear and determine) are English in origin. In Virginia, they were convened to try slaves who committed capital offenses, persons accused of committing capital offenses at sea, and other special situations concerning capital offenses. The law establishing the oyer and terminer commission in Virginia has its origins in an act of assembly passed in April 1692 and amended several times in the decades afterwards. The law detailed the procedure for a slave brought to trial for a capital offense. A slave was denied the right to a jury trial that white men and women had.

Scope and Content

Henry County (Va.) Commonwealth Causes, 1856-1859, consist of five commonwealth causes against slaves and a free negro for crimes including assault with the intent to maim, malicious stabbing, aid and abet a poisoning, and rape. All of the suits include extensive testimony and some deponents are slaves.

Arrangement

Chronological by end date.

Related Material

Additional commonwealth causes may be located in the Henry County (Va.) Judgments located at the Library of Virginia.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Henry County (Va.). Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African Americans -- History.
• Crime -- Virginia -- Henry County.
• Free African Americans -- Virginia -- Henry County.
• Slaveholders -- Virginia -- Henry County.
• Slaves -- Virginia -- Henry County.

Geographical Names:

• Henry County (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Criminal court records -- Virginia -- Henry County.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Henry County.

Added Entry - Corporate Name:

• Henry County (Va.) Court of Oyer and Terminer.

Adjunct Descriptive Data