Thanks to your advocacy efforts on our behalf, we're happy to report that the recently passed Omnibus Spending Bill includes a very small increase in funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities! While our work is not over with regards to the upcoming 2018 budget to be passed in the fall, the Omnibus Spending Bill represents an endorsement of the important work that the humanities do for our communities. These funds will continue to support our work of providing free access to authoritative content about Virginia's history and culture.
In this law, "Concerning secret Marriages," passed in its 1658
session, the General Assembly
addressed the problem of indentured servants having children and marrying. For masters, this
resulted in a loss of the women servants' labor, for which the law attempted to
provide compensation. The act revises one passed during the 1643 session. Some
spelling has been modernized.
WHEREAS many greate abuses and much detriment have been found to arise both against
the lawe of God and likewise to the service of many masters of ffamilies in the
collonie, occasioned through secret marriages of servants, their masters and
mistresses not any waies made privie thereunto, As also by comitting of ffornication;
for the prevention of the like abuses hereafter, Be it
enacted, and confirmed by this Grand Assembly that what servant soever hath
since January, 1656, or hereafter shall secretly marrie with any maid or woman servant
without the consent of her master or mistresse, (if she be a widowe) hee or they soe
offending shall in the first place serve out his or their times with his or their
master or mistresse, and after shall serve his or their master or mistresse one
complete yeare more for such offence comited, And the maid or woman servant so
marrying without consent as aforesaid shall for such her offence to her master or
mistresse serve one year after her freedom by indenture, And a freeman so offending
shall give satisfaction to the master or mistresse by doubling the valew of the
service.
And it is also further enacted and confirmed by the authoritie of
this Grand Assembly that if any mans' servant shall hereafter comit the act of
ffornication with any maid [text worn out]
appointed in like cases give satisfaction for the loss of her service to her said
master or mistresse by his service of one compleat yeare, or pay fifteen hundred
pounds of tobacco and give securitie to save harmeless the parish and her said master
or mistresse, and defraye all charge of keeping the child, And a freeman so offending
shall for his offence pay fifteen hundred pounds of tobacco or one year's service to
the master or mistresse of the woman or maid servant of whom hee
— page 43 —
shall gett a bastard,
As also give securitie to save the parish and her said master and mistresse harmelesse
& defray all charge about keeping the child, And the woman servant so offending
to suffer according to lawe, Also be it enacted that every person comitting
ffornication shall pay five hundred pounds of tobacco to the use of the parish where
the said act is committed or be whipt.
