Accomack County’s seventeenth book of court orders begins with the court held on 1 November 1737, and ends on 25 September 1744. During this period twenty-seven different justices sat in almost two hundred sessions to settle disputes and render decisions on the fates of fornicators, thieves, servants and slaves. The punishments ranged from fines and imprisonment to branding and hanging. Many offenders were sentenced to public whipping and time in the pillory. The introduction spotlights the more interesting, revealing or unfortunate incidents found among the court orders issued during those years. These pages comprise a fascinating collection of accounts of: the court and other buildings on its grounds, wild and domestic animals, bastardy, the ill treatment of wives by husbands, the economy, a military case, roads and taxes, servants, slaves, thieves and criminals. Much can be learned about the justice system, incarceration, indentured servants, slaves, the value of tobacco, and more. This chronological collection of court orders is intended as a guide to the original court order books. A full name plus subject index adds to the value of this work.
JoAnn Riley McKey
2007, 5½x8½, paper, index, 468 pp.
ISBN: 9780788441776
101-M4177
