Conditions Governing Use

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Conditions Governing Access:

Collection is open to all researchers. Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Manuscripts and Rare Books Librarian, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Preferred Citation:

George Wythe Collection, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Acquisition Information:

The materials in this collection were donated  by Clarence Hodson, Spencer Timm, and Fritz Herschfeld and purchased by W&M Special Collections in batches between 1974 and 1996.

Biographical Information:

George Wythe was born in 1726 in Elizabeth City County, Va. He attended the College of William and Mary. Wythe studied law and was a member and clerk of the House of Burgesses. Member of Continental Congress. Signed Declaration of Independence. Speaker of House of Delegates. Judge of Virginia High Court of Chancery. Professor of Law and Police at William and Mary, 1779- 1790. Moved to Richmond where he died in 1806.

Scope and Contents

Copies of letters, 1781-1783, from George Wythe, Williamsburg, Va. , one to John Adams and another to Thomas Jefferson concerning the use of the College of William and Mary as a hospital. Also includes a magazine article about Wythe; newspaper copy of William Munford's oration at Wythe's funeral; correspondence, 1921, of Robert M. Hughes concerning a monument for Wythe's grave; a form book of Peter Tinsley, clerk of the High Court of Chancery which gives "Forms of Injunctions," Forms of Orders," "Certificates,"Processes,"Executions," "Rules of Court," "Bonds," and "Appeal," of chancery cases from the Richmond High Court (1779-1802); several engravings of Wythe and bills of complaints in lawsuits.

Arrangement of Materials:

All accessions have been combined and filed together under Mss. 39.2 W99.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Adams, John, 1735-1826
• College of William and Mary--Alumni and alumnae
• College of William and Mary--History--18th century
• Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
• Colonial period, ca. 1609-1774
• Continential Congress
• Correspondence
• Declaration of Independence
• House of Burgesses
• Hughes, Robert M. (Robert Morton), b. 1855
• Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
• Legal documents
• Marshall-Wythe School of Law
• Photographs
• Speeches, addresses, etc.
• Typescripts
• United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783
• United States--Lawyers
• Universities and Colleges--Virginia--Faculty
• Virginia--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
• Virginia. High Court of Chancery
• Virginia. High Court of Chancery. Richmond District
• Williamsburg (Va.)--Colonial Period--History
• Williamsburg (Va.)--History