| Date | 1748 |
|---|---|
| Law/Legislation | Law |
| Jurisdiction | VA |
| Title | Chapter XIV |
| Description/Full Text | This act concerning servants and slaves enacts that all servants, except convicts, imported without indenture, if they be Chrisitan and above nineteen years of age, shall serve five years, and if under nineteen until twenty four years of age and no longer. All persons imported who were not Christians in their native land, except Turks and Moors, and those who can prove they were free in England or other Christian country before transportation, shall be slaves, and as such be here bought and sold, notwithstanding conversion to Christianity after importation. Children are to be bond or free, according to the condition of their mother. The master's duty to servants is to provide for them and not whip any Christian white servant naked without an order. No contracts shall be made between masters and servants unless in court. Servants shall own their own property. Sick and lame servants shall not be discharged; every servant not having wages shall at the end of his service recieve ten pounds ten shilings for freedom dues from the master. Negroes, mulatoes or Indians, although Christians, Jews, Moors, Moohemmedans, or other infidels, shall not purchase Chrisitan servants except of their own complexion. If any person having such Chrisitian servant shall marry with a Negro, mulatto, Indian, Jew, Moor, Mohammedan, or other infidel, such servant shall thereupon become free. There shall be penalties for dealing with servants or slaves without the consent of the master or overseet. Servants shall faithfully do their master's just commands under penalty of extension of time of service. In cases of penal laws, where free persons are punishable by fines, servants shall be punished by whipping at the rate of twnety lashes for very five hundered pounds of tovacco. At the expiration of their term, servants shall have certificates of freedom; there shall be a penalty for harboring servants without certificates; runaways who use stolen or forged cerificiates shall stand in the pillory two hours; there shall be rewards for taking up runaway servants or slaves. Any Negro or other person not declaring the name of his owner shall be committed to jail and delivered to his owner on satisfying the sheriff's fee; if no owner appear, the runaway shall be hired out, the runaway to wear a strong iron collar with letters "P.G." stamped thereon; owners claiming runaway slaves shall make proof of ownership, but if no owner finally appear the sherif shall sell the runaway at public auction after charges paid; every runaway servant upon whose account any reward shall be paid, after all other time of service shall be expired, shall repay all charges and loss of time. Servants imported as tradesmen or mechanics, who are ignorant to perform such trades or mysteries, shall repay wages or serve further tiume as just. Stealing any Negro, mulatto, or Indian slave is a felony and those offending shall suffer death without benefit of clergy. |
| Additional Information | – |
| Source | Black Laws of Virginia, By: June Purcell Guild |
| Transcriber Notes | – |
If you are citing this record, please use the following format:
[Author (if known)], Laws and Legislation Related to Slavery and Free Blacks in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia (1642-1860), [Date (if known)], Enduring Connections: Exploring Delmarva’s Black History, Nabb Research Center, Salisbury University.
Pinned records can be viewed at any time by clicking the More menu in the top right corner of the page, then selecting My Pinned Records.