Administrative Information

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Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Plat of Bowling Green Estate, 1825. Local government records collection, Caroline County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

This item came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Caroline County (Va.) in 1980 under accession number 30702.

Processing Information

The plat was processed by G. Crawford before 2009.

Encoded by G. Crawford: March 2009; updated by C. Collins: April 2024.

Historical Information

Context for Record Type: The plat was used as an exhibit in the chancery cause Hoomes, etc. vs. Hoomes, etc., heard in the Superior Court of Chancery, Fredericksburg District. Plats document property boundaries and were primarily included in chancery causes as part of land or estate divisions or disputes regarding debts, contracts, trespass, and permissions to sell property.

Court History: The Superior Courts of Chancery were created by an act of the General Assembly passed on 23 January 1802. In order to expedite the hearing of chancery suits, the High Court of Chancery was abolished, and the state was divided into three chancery districts with a Superior Court of Chancery for each district. For this reason, these courts were sometimes called "District Courts of Chancery." The initial district courts met at Staunton, Richmond (City), and Williamsburg. On 28 January 1812 three additional districts were authorized and met at Wythe County, Winchester, and Clarksburg. In 1814, the number of courts increased again, with the localities of Lynchburg, Fredericksburg, and Greenbrier County being added. Each court heard cases from the counties which constituted its chancery district, but the court met at only one place in the district and its records were kept in that one location. The Superior Courts of Chancery were abolished in 1831 and their jurisdiction was assumed by the newly created Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery for each county.

Court History: The Fredericksburg Superior Court of Chancery heard cases originating in the counties of: Caroline, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fairfax, Lancaster, Northumberland, Madison, King George, Orange, Prince William, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Essex, and Westmoreland and the City of Fredericksburg.

Locality History: Caroline County was named for Caroline of Anspach, wife of King George II. It was formed from Essex, King and Queen, and King William Counties on 1 May 1728, and additional parts of King and Queen County were added in 1742 and in 1763. The county seat is Bowling Green.

Locality History: Fredericksburg, in Spotsylvania County, was named for Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales, eldest son of George II. Fredericksburg was established on the south bank of the Rappahannock River in 1728 and incorporated as a town in 1781 to take effect in March 1782. It became a city in 1879.

Locality History: Fredericksburg, in Spotsylvania County, was named for Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales, eldest son of George II. Fredericksburg was established on the south bank of the Rappahannock River in 1728 and incorporated as a town in 1781 to take effect in March 1782. It became a city in 1879.

Scope and Content

Plat of Bowling Green Estate, 1825, shows the division of land, located in Caroline County, belonging to the Hoomes family. The plat includes boundary lines and markers; lot numbers and the person or persons to whom each lot was devised; and the total number of acres per lot.

Related Material

The Fredericksburg Superior Court of Chancery records are retained in the locality. Contact the clerk of the Fredericksburg Circuit Court for access. Visit the City of Fredericksburg Historic Court Records site for additional information about the chancery causes stored at the Fredericksburg Circuit Court Archives.

Additional Caroline County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.

Caroline County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1762-1873, can be found on the Chancery Records Index available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.

Caroline County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Caroline County Records may be found in the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection available the Library of Virginia website.

Adjunct Descriptive Data