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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Petition from inhabitants of New Hanover County concerning debtors
Bradley, William; Et Al.
1757
Volume 05, Page 754

-------------------- page 754 --------------------
[From MSS. Records in Office of Secretary of State.]

North Carolina—ss.

To His Excelly Arthur Dobbs Esqr Capt General Govr and Commander in Chief in and over the Province of North Carolina His Majesty's Honble Council and the Assembly of North Carolina now met at Wilmington.

The Petition of several of the Inhabitants of New Hanover County and others, Sheweth

That in Virtue of an act of the Assembly of this Province passd in the Twenty Second year of the reign of his Present Majesty Intitled an act for the Relief of Poor Debtors as to the Imprisonment of their Persons, Several able bodied Men Tradesmen and others have been Confined either under Mesne Process or Execution (at the Suit of one or more of their Creditors) Issuing out of the Supreme or County Court, and since have obtained the rules or Bounds of the Several Prisons belonging to the sd Several Counties and at the same time do by their several Labours Earn some Six, Some Eight and others Ten Shillings and more per Diem. the least part of which would be Sufficient for their Necessary Maintainance and the remainder might be applyed weekly or otherwise towards payment of those Debts they are Under Confinement for, but Instead thereof the most of them use their Creditors with the utmost contempt and giving out that themselves and Estates are better Secured whilst they remain under the abovementioned Confinement than before.

Wherefore your Petitioners Humbly prays a Bill may be brot in to be passd into an act for the relief of your Petitioners and others concern'd, or Such Remedy as you in your Wisdom Shall think Proper and as in Duty Bound Shall Pray &c.

Wm BRADLEY
EDWd LANGFORD
BENJn MONSON
DAN. DUNBIBIN
ANTHy WARD
WILLIAM PURVIANCE
WILLIAM VAUGHAN
ISAAC RAY
JOHN ROGERS