[Virginia]. A remarkable collection of early Virginia laws and imprints, covering the years 1748 to 1763

[VIRGINIA]

A REMARKABLE COLLECTION OF COLONIAL VIRGINIA LAWS AND IMPRINTS COVERING THE YEARS 1748 TO 1763. WILLIAMSBURG: WILLIAM HUNTER OR JOSEPH ROYLE, 1753-1763

Folio. 24 imprints, with individual paginations, contemporary manuscript notes, mainly to earlier laws. Bound to style in three quarter calf and marbled boards. 

Individual imprints are as follows:

1. Acts of Assembly, now in force, in Virginia. Occasioned by the Repeal of Sundry Acts Made in the Twenty Second Year of His Majesty's Reign, and in the Year of Our Lord 1748 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1753]. 58pp. Berg 77; Bristol B1635; ESTC W23622; Shipton & Mooney 40677.

2. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Angliae, Scotiae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Vicessimo Quinto. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the College, in Williamsburg, on Thursday the Twenty Seventh Day of February...1752 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1752]. 47, [1]pp. Berg 78; ESTC W8519; Evans 6942.

3. Acts of Assembly, Passed at a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the College in the City of Williamsburg, on Thursday the Twenty Seventh Day of February...One Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty Two...to Thursday the First Day of November...One Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty Three. Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1754. [2],46pp. Berg 88; Bristol B1636, B1689; ESTC W23630; Shipton & Mooney 40725.

4. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Angliae, Scotiae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Vicesimo Septimo. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the College in the City of Williamsburg, on Thursday the 27th Day of February...1752...to Thursday the 14th Day of February...1754 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1754]. 4pp. Berg 89; Bristol B1690; ESTC W23631; Shipton & Mooney 40726.

5. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Angliae, Scotiae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Vicesimo Octavo. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the College in the City of Williamsburg, on Thursday the Twenty Seventh Day of February...One Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty Two...to Thursday the Twenty Second Day of August...One Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty Four [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1754]. 6pp. Berg 90; Bristol B1691; ESTC W23632; Shipton & Mooney 40727.

6. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Vicesimo Nono. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the College, in the City of Williamsburg, on Thursday the 27th Day of February...1752...to Tuesday the 5th Day of August...1755 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1755]. 22pp. Berg 99; Bristol B1785; ESTC W23635; Shipton & Mooney 40810.

7. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Vicesimo Nono. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the College, in the City of Williamsburg, on Thursday the 27th Day of February...1752...to Monday the 27th Day of October...1755 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1755]. 8pp. Berg 100; Bristol B1786; ESTC W23636; Shipton & Mooney 40811.

8. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Vicesimo Nono. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in Williamsburg, on Thursday the Twenty-Fifth of March...1756 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1756]. 28pp. Berg 107; ESTC W23637; Evans 7808.

9. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Tricesimo. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in Williamsburg, on Thursday the Twenty-Fifth of March...One Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty-Six...to Monday the Twentieth of September [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1756]. 4pp. Berg 108; ESTC W23638; Evans 7809.

10. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Tricesimo. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in Williamsburg, on Thursday the Twenty-Fifth of March...One Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty-Six...to Thursday the Fourteeth of April...One Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty-Seven [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1757]. 48pp. Berg 114; ESTC W23702; Evans 8054.

11. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Tricesimo Primo. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in Williamsburg, on Thursday the Twenty-Fifth Day of March...1756...to Thursday the Thirtieth of March...1758 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1758]. 5pp. Berg 123; Bristol B2005; ESTC W14106; Shipton & Mooney 41015.

12. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Tricesimo Secundo. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in Williamsburg, on Thursday the Fourteenth Day of September...1758 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1758]. 34pp. Berg 124; Bristol B2006; ESTC W14107; Shipton & Mooney 41016.

13. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Tricesimo Secundo. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in Williamsburg, on Thursday the Fourteenth Day of September...1758...to Thursday the 9th of September [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1758]. 2pp. Berg 125; ESTC W14109; Evans 8273.

14. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Tricesimo Secundo. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in Williamsburg, on Thursday the Fourteenth Day of September...1758...to Thursday the 22d of February...1759 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1759]. 36pp. Berg 133; ESTC W14108; Evans 8509.

15. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Tricesimo Tertio. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in Williamsburg, on Thursday the Fourteenth Day of September...1758...to Thursday the 1st of November...1759 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1759]. 8pp. Berg 134; ESTC W14104; Evans 8510.

16. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Tricesimo Tertio. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in Williamsburg, on Thursday the Fourteenth Day of September...1758...to Tuesday the 4th of March...1760 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1760]. 6pp. Berg 139; ESTC W14103; Evans 8754.

17. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Tricesimo Tertio. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in Williamsburg, on Thursday the Fourteenth Day of September...1758...to Monday the 19th of May...1760 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1760]. 6pp. Berg 140; ESTC W14105; Evans 8755.

18. Anno Regni Georgii II, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Tricesimo-Quarto. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in Williamsburg, on Thursday the Fourteenth Day of September...1758...to Monday the 6th of October...1760 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1760]. 7pp. Berg 141: ESTC W14110; Evans 8756.

19. Anno Regni Georgii III, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Primo. At a General Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in Williamsburg, on Thursday the Fourteenth Day of September...1758...to Thursday the 5th of March...1761 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1761]. 9-50pp. Berg 146; ESTC W14102; Evans 9030.

20. Anno Regni Georgii III, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae et Hiberniae, Secundo. At a General-Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in the City of Williamsburg, on Tuesday the 26th of May...1761...to Tuesday the 3rd of November [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1761]. 14pp. Berg 147; ESTC W14100; Evans 9031.

21. Anno Regni Georgii III, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae et Hiberniae, Secundo. At a General-Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in the City of Williamsburg, on Tuesday the 26th of May...1761...to Thursday the 14th of January, 1762 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1762]. 2pp. Berg 153; ESTC W14101; Evans 9290.

22. Anno Regni Georgii III, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae et Hiberniae, Secundo. At a General-Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in the City of Williamsburg, on Tuesday the 26th of May...1761...to Tuesday the 30th of March, 1762 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1762]. 10pp. Berg 154; ESTC W14099; Evans 9291.

23. Anno Regni Georgii III, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae et Hiberniae, Tertio. At a General-Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in the City of Williamsburg, on Tuesday the 26th of May...1761...to Tuesday the 2d of November, 1762 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1762]. 52pp. Berg 155; ESTC W14098; Evans 9292.

24. Anno Regni Georgii III, Regis Magnae Brittaniae, Franciae et Hiberniae, Tertio. At a General-Assembly, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in the City of Williamsburg, on Tuesday the 26th of May...1761...to Thursday the 19th of May, 1763 [caption title]. [Williamsburg: William Hunter, 1763]. 9pp. Berg 159; Bristol B2447; ESTC W18723; Shipton & Mooney 41421.

A remarkable collection of early Virginia laws and imprints

The present run of colonial Virginia laws and imprints from the press of William Hunter, constitutes the largest single group of early Virginia imprints to appear on the market since at least World War II. Hunter was the second printer in Virginia, following William Parks, who died in 1749. Hunter did not begin to print until late 1750, and his early output was scanty; he did not get the contract to print the Virginia statutes until 1752. This transition explains why Hunter did not print the 1748 acts found here until 1753. Hunter was succeeded in 1761 by Joseph Royle, who was the only printer in Virginia until 1765. This volume contains about one third of all the imprints recorded by Berg between 1753 and 1763.

There is much on slavery, with the first act printed here titled: "An Act declaring the Negro, Mulatto, and Indian Slaves, within this Dominion, to be Real Estate." Other laws define who shall be slaves, provide regulations for handling runaway slaves, slave duties, and so on. Other laws relate to tobacco, the College of William and Mary, land purchases from the Nottoway Indians, and much more.

Beginning in 1754, laws relating to the military begin to appear, commensurate with the start of the French and Indian War in that year. Such laws concentrate on militia-building, raising revenue for "the Protection of His Majesty's Subjects on the Frontiers of this Colony," with additional laws such as "An Act for preventing and repelling the hostile Incursions of the Indians, at Enmity with the Inhabitants of this Colony," an amendment to "An Act for making Provision against Invasions and Insurrections," "An Act to enable certain Persons to contract for the Transportation of the Neutral French to Great-Britain," "An Act for preventing Mutiny and Desertions," "An Act for granting an Aid to his Majesty, for the better Protection and Defence of this Colony..." and others. All of these are acts critical to the French and Indian war, and to the career of George Washington and other later leaders of the Revolution. Many more acts related to land, tobacco, western expansion, and slaves are also present. 

Additionally, this copy holds extensive near-contemporary annotations by a William Green, the marginalia dated 1837 next to his signature. Green writes about the printing history of Virginia laws, and how this particular book relates to previously-printed legal works that seem to cover the same span of years. His annotations fill the front pastedown, both sides of the front free endpaper, and the margins of the first leaf of text, with occasional marginal annotations throughout. A transcript of his notes on the preliminary leaves is laid in.

Most of these works are located in only three or four copies by Berg; the only Virginia institution with a partial holding is the Virginia State Library.

REFERENCE:

William Green (dated marginalia)