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Library of Virginia
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Processed by: Craig S. Moore
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Originals not served. See microfilm (Miscellaneous Reel 609-612) or online at the Library of Virginia's Digital Collections Discovery - Colonial Papers.
Virginia (Colony). Colonial Papers, 1630-1778. Accession 36138. State Records Collection, The Library of Virginia.
Acquired prior to 1905.
Also available on microfilm (Miscellaneous Reels 609-612).
The history of Virginia's colonial government is divided into two significant phases by the date of May 24, 1624, when the charter of the Virginia Company of London was revoked by the crown. Prior to that date the colony had been run as a private corporation with final authority resting in the hands of the stockholders; afterwards, it was a royal colony with all the trappings and institutions of government that such a status required. The Grand Assembly, begun in 1619, evolved into the House of Burgesses by 1642, governors and lieutenant governors were sent to the colony as the king's viceroys, regular courts were established, and a complex system of government was developed to lead and protect the growing colony.
The Colonial Papers are arranged in two series. Series have been designated for Chronological Files and Petitions to the House of Burgesses. The Chronological Files is by far the largest series documenting the chronological arrangement of Colonial Papers between 1630 and 1778. The Petitions to the House of Burgesses series represents a small collection of petitions submitted to the House of Burgesses between 1774 and 1775. The Colonial Papers contain a collection of loose papers more closely connected by age than by any other single factor that consist largely of records kept by the clerk of the colonial council, House of Burgesses, the governor and other officials, relating to county as well as colony-wide government. The records of the colonial government have, for the most part, been destroyed by wars, fires, and early neglect. This collection of loose colonial papers is arranged in chronological order, in fifty-three folders. The collection consists of petitions to the governor or House of Burgesses, court records, orders, summonses, patents, accounts, proceedings, returns, grants, proclamations, addresses, certificates and correspondence.
See also: Palmer, W.P. ed. Calendar of Virginia State Papers: and other manuscripts preserved in the Capitol at Richmond, v. 1, 1652-1781 (Richmond : 1875).
This collection is arranged into the following series:
Series I: Chronological Files, 1630-1778 Series II: Petitions to the House of Burgesses, 1774-1775Pay special attention to box and folder numbers in the folder list because the materials are listed in chronological order but oversize items were separated and placed in Oversize Boxes 149, 149a, 150a, and Oversize drawers. The finding aid will list the box and folder number of the oversize materials.
The Chronological Files series is housed in nine archival boxes and is arranged in chronological order with undated items filed to the rear of the series. This series consists of correspondence, patents, petitions, orders, writs of summons, certificates, commissions, proceedings, depositions, proclamations, accounts, receipts, bonds, speeches, reports, amendments, acts, court records, and other items. Petitions to the early governors or their deputies seem to be the most prevalent, especially petitions related to land or compensation. The early period of Virginia's colonial history from the founding of Jamestown to the restoration of the English monarchy in 1660 is barely represented. The earliest item in the collection is a letter from Governor John Harvey to Sir Robert Heath, King's Attorney General, dated 31 May 1630, in which Harvey complains of the actions of his predecessor John Pott as governor and mentions the construction of a fort at Point Comfort. This letter was actually an addition to the Colonial Papers having been purchased for two hundred dollars by the Library in 1949 from a New York antiquities dealer and later interfiled in the collection. Another document within this early period consists of a land grant from Governor Richard Bennett to Henry Palin and John Swingleton for the transport of six persons to the colony. Also common are writs of summons to county sheriffs from clerks of the General Court for the appearance of individuals to answer various suits. In 1672, Governor William Berkeley issued a court summons to the sheriff of Henrico County to gather a jury for the murder trial of Mary Blades accused of the murder of a fellow slave named Philip Lettice. Furthermore, there is a document which purports to be the only known signature of Nathaniel Bacon, leader of the of the 1676 rebellion which bears his name. This document is a simple note from Bacon regarding the payment of five hundred pounds to Thomas Ballard. Noteworthy too is the commission of Thomas Culpeper as governor from King Charles II following the death of Governor William Berkeley.
Relations between the colonists and Native American tribes, as evidenced by Bacon's Rebellion, played a significant role in Virginia's colonial history, and thus, figure prominently in the Colonial Papers. Included are proceedings of a Council held at Albany, New York, between Governor Francis Lord Howard, Baron of Effingham, Thomas Dougan, Governor of New York, among others, and the sachems of the Maques or Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Cayuga tribes. There is also an appeal to the sachems of the Five Nations on 6 August 1687, and their answer the following day, concerning their war against the French in Canada, the exchange of French prisoners, and peace with the Ottawa tribe. The Pamunkey Indian tribe petitioned the colonial governors on two occasions requesting an order for surveying and patenting several lands on 15 August 1705/1706 and seeking relief from their annual tribute in 1710. A major event occurred in North Carolina in 1711 with an attack by the Tuscarora Tribe against colonists living along the Roanoke River which is well-documented in the Colonial Papers. Included is a message from the House of Burgesses regarding the massacre and a proposed alliance with the several governments of the Tuscarora Indians, a petition of inhabitants of Neuse River, North Carolina, requesting men and arms to protect against another massacre, a letter of Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood to Governor Thomas Pollock, North Carolina, regarding provisions for the forces against the Tuscarora Indians, letters from Governor Thomas Pollock to Lieutenant Governor Spotswood regarding the poor state of the colony and assistance from Virginia, and a letter of Col. James Moore regarding his capture of Fort Neoheroka from the Indians.
Piracy is another major subject evidenced in the Colonial Papers. In the late seventeenth century three suspected pirates named Edward Davis, Lionell Dellawafer, and John Hinson, were seized for suspicion of piracy by Capt. Simon Rowe of the Frigate Dunbarton. The collection includes the warrant issued by Governor Francis Lord Howard for their arrest, accounts of items seized from the pirates, a petition for their release from jail, and a petition for the return of their seized property after their release. On 10 February 1699, King William III wrote to Governor Francis Nicholson requesting that all pirates be brought to England for trial. Lastly, there is an order to charge William Howard with piracy in 1718. This document contains articles exhibited against Howard including a claim that he was a known associate of Edward Tack or Teach, also known as Blackbeard. Howard was also accused of plundering the Ship Concord which was later renamed Queen Anne's Revenge by Blackbeard.
Orders from the British Crown as well as correspondence from various secretaries of state for the South Department comprise an important portion of the Colonial Papers. These documents often concern the general administration of the colony, but also the communication of vital information on foreign affairs. For instance, on 7 May 1702, Daniel Finch, Earl of Nottingham, writes to Governor Francis Nicholson regarding Queen Anne's declaration of war against France and Spain. Additionally, Sir Charles Hedges informs Governor Edward Nott of the victory of the Duke of Marlborough over the French army in Flanders in 1706. On 5 August 1714, Henry St. John, 1st Viscount of Bolingbroke, notifies Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood of the death of Queen Anne. Finally, there is a letter from John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, in 1749 regarding the agreement of England and Spain to cease hostilities in American waters.
The above-mentioned documents are just a small sampling of the wealth of materials found in the Colonial Papers. Any discussion of this collection must also mention the deed between the Six Nations of Indians and King George II releasing their rights to all lands within Virginia in 1744, the land grant and plat of George Mason in 1771, and the marriage bond of Thomas Jefferson and Francis Eppes which was transferred to the Virginia State Library from the Charles City County Court by a resolution of the General Assembly in 1875. Moreover, the collection contains the articles of capitulation of Capt. Louis Coulon de Villiers to George Washington, commander of the English troops at Fort Necessity, on 3 July 1754.
Arranged chronologically with undated items at the end of the series.
The Petitions to the House of Burgesses series are housed in two archival boxes and are arranged in chronological order. This series contains petitions submitted to the Speaker and House of Burgesses by various individuals. The petitions relate to compensation for service or supplies furnished during the French & Indian War, the dividing line between the counties of Henrico & Hanover, reimbursement for the loss of tobacco which was stolen or destroyed by a flood, revision of the tobacco inspection law, relief from the loss of slaves, the establishment of ferries, travel allowances for witnesses or venire men, and protests against the formation of a new county from parts of Halifax, Charlotte, & Mecklenburg. Noteworthy is a petition from the director & managers for erecting a lighthouse on Cape Henry in which they ask for additional fund for materials & wages to complete the lighthouse (1775 June 15). In addition, there is a petition from the Hanover Presbytery asking for the free exercise of their religion on behalf of themselves and all Protestant dissenters (1775 June 5).
Arranged chronologically. Pay special attention to box and folder numbers in the folder list because the materials are listed in chronological order but oversize items were separated and placed in Oversize Box 150a. The finding aid will list the box and folder number of the oversize materials.