In April 1691, the General Assembly passed "An act for suppressing outlying slaves," designed
to deal with the problem of runaway slaves. It came in the wake of alleged slave conspiracies in, among other places,
Westmoreland County in
1687 and 1688.
WHEREAS many times negroes, mulattoes, and other slaves unlawfully absent themselves
from their masters and mistresses service, and lie hid and lurk in obscure places
killing hoggs and committing other injuries to the inhabitants of this dominion, for
remedy whereof for the future, Be it enacted by their majesties lieutenant governour,
councell and burgesses of this present general assembly, and the authoritie thereof,
and it is hereby enacted, that in all such cases upon intelligence of any such
negroes, mulattoes, or other slaves lying out, two of their majesties justices of the
peace of that county, whereof one to be of the quorum, where such negroes, mulattoes
or other slave shall be, shall be impowered and commanded, and are hereby impowered
and commanded to issue out their warrants directed to the sherrife of the same county
to apprehend such negroes, mulattoes, and other slaves, which said sherriffe is
hereby likewise required upon all such occasions to raise such and soe many forces
from time to time as he shall think convenient and necessary for the effectual
apprehending such negroes, mulattoes and other slave, and in case any negroes,
mulattoes or other slaves or slaves lying out as aforesaid shall resist, runaway, or
refuse to deliver and surrender him or themselves to any person or persons that shall
be by lawfull authority employed to apprehend and take such negroes, mulattoes or
other slaves that in such cases it shall and may be lawfull for such person and
persons to kill and distroy such negroes, mulattoes, and other slave or slaves by
gunn or any otherwaise whatsoever.
Provided that where any negroe or mulattoe slave or slaves shall be killed in
pursuance of this act, the owner or owners of such negro or mulatto slave shall be
paid for such negro or mulatto slave four thousand pounds of tobacco by the publique.
And for prevention of that abominable mixture and spurious issue which hereafter may
encrease in this dominion, as well by negroes, mulattoes, and Indians intermarrying
with English, or other white women, as by their unlawfull accom-
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panying with one
another, Be it enacted by the authoritie aforesaid, and it is hereby enacted, that
for the time to come, whatsoever English or other white man or woman being free shall
intermarry with a negroe, mulatto, or Indian man or woman bond or free shall within
three months after such marriage be banished and removed from this dominion forever,
and that the justices of each respective countie within this dominion make it their
perticular care, that this act be put in effectuall execution. And be it further
enacted by the authoritie aforesaid, and it is hereby enacted, That if any English
woman being free shall have a bastard child by any negro or mulatto, she pay the sume
of fifteen pounds sterling, within one moneth after such bastard child be born, to
the Church wardens of the parish where she shall be delivered of such child, and in
default of such payment she shall be taken into the possession of the said Church
wardens and disposed of for five yeares, and the said fine of fifteen pounds, or
whatever the woman shall be disposed of for, shall be paid, one third part to their
majesties for and towards the support of the government and the contingent charges
thereof, and one other third part to the use of the parish where the offence is
committed, and the other third part to the informer, and that such bastard child be
bound out as a servant by the said Church wardens untill he or she shall attaine the
age of thirty yeares, and in case such English woman that shall have such bastard
child be a servant, she shall be sold by the said church wardens, (after her time is
expired that she ought by law to serve her master) for five yeares, and the money she
shall be sold for divided as is before appointed, and the child to serve as
aforesaid.
And forasmuch as great inconveniences may happen to this country by the setting of
negroes and mulattoes free, by their either entertaining negro slaves from their
masters service, or receiveing stolen goods, or being grown old bringing a charge
upon the country; for prevention thereof, Be it enacted by the authority aforesaid,
and it is hereby enacted, That no negro or mulatto be after the end of this present
session of assembly set free by any person or persons whatsoever, unless such person
or persons, their heires, executors or administrators pay for the transportation of
such negro or
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negroes out of the countrey within six moneths after such setting them
free, upon penalty of paying of tenn pounds sterling to the Church wardens of the
parish where such person shall dwell with, which money, or so much thereof as shall
be necessary, the said Church wardens are to cause the said negro or mulatto to be
transported out of the countrey, and the remainder of the said money to imploy to the
use of the poor of the parish.
