| Date | 1705 |
|---|---|
| Law/Legislation | Law |
| Jurisdiction | VA |
| Title | Chapter XXIII |
| Description/Full Text | All Negro, mulatto, and Indian slaves within this dominion shall be held to be real estate and not chattels and shall descend unto heirs and widows according to the custom of land inheritance, and be held in fee simple. Provided that any merchant bringing slaves into this dominion shall hold such slaves whilst they remain unsold as personal estate. All such slaves may be taken on execution as other chattels; slaves shall not be escheatable. No person selling any slave shall be obliged to have the sale recorded as upon the alienation of other real estate. Nothing in this act shall be construed to give the owner of a slave not seized of other real estate the right to vote as a freeholder A widow holding slaves as dower and permitting them or their children to leave the state forfeits every such slave and all other dower. |
| Additional Information | – |
| Source | Black Laws of Virginia, By: June Purcell Guild |
| Transcriber Notes | – |
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[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.
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