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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Affidavit of Solomon Summers concerning rebellion in Albemarle County
Summers, Solomon
January 31, 1680
Volume 01, Pages 296-298

[B. P. R. O. Colonial Papers.]

The affidavitt of Solomon Summers of Redriffe shippwrite in ye County of Surrey who deposed saith:

That in or about ye middle of July 1677 carrieing Mr Tho. Miller from Burmudos to Albemarle in Carolina in a small shallopp calld ye Success fitted maned & set to sea upon ye cost accot & adventure of ye sd Miller then as his Matyes Collectr & concernd alsoe for ye Lds Propriatrs as Com̄andr in cheife in all mattrs Civill & Military in ye sd County during ye absence of Tho. Eastchurch Esqre then Govr since deceased as by sundry Com̄issions Instructions & other writeings from ye Lds Propriatrs ye Com̄issrs of the Customes & ye sd Govr wch ye depont saw did appeare and upon ye 2d or 3d day of ye sd Miller's arrivall there was great abuse & affronts offered to him in ye deponts sight & hearing (without any provocation given by ye said Miller) by some of ye inhabitants there (meerly as ye depont conceives) by reason he was his Majtys Collectr & had power to call them to accot for his Majts dues wch in ye yeare before viz 76 they had deposed & had alsoe subverted ye then Governt undr ye Lds Propritrs as ye depont was there credibly informed the more prticularly by one Patt White was the sd Miller violently assaulted att one Mr Rich : Fostrs house ye said White            & swearing yt he could freely run his knife

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were itt not for feare of ye law into ye sd Miller & yt he would never have the Kings Customes settled there as long as he lived wth many other words to this or worse purpose uttred by ye sd White & his wife & others but ye sd Miller not much heeding those abuses but goeing further by into ye Country in prosecution of his ordrs in ye first place sommoned ye Assembly to appeare to whome he showed & in whose heareing (to this deponts certaine knowledge) he caused to be published all his foresd Com̄issions & Instructions & then reduced & quietly ye Indians setled ye Malitia brought ye Inhabitants to a good ordr & peaceable decorum & lastly settled his Majtys affaires in reference to the customes & all this done wthout ye least dropp of bloodshed weh peaceable & quiett posture of affaires to ye then general satisfaction of ye inhabitts soe continued from July aforesd notwthstanding the seditious designes of a few there till ye Xber following att which time upon ye arrivall of Capt. Zach. Gillam from London wth store of armes & am̄unition on board his shipp a rebellion (as yr depont supposeth) broake out contrived & caried on by John Culpeper Richd Fostr Jno. Jenkins Ja. Blunt Jno Willoughby Wm. Crawford Geo. Durant Patt White & other their Confedrates & New England Tradrs wherein (after ye publique Records by a party of men in armes) being first seized wth all ye sd Millers publique & private writeings &c. severall lockes being broake open in ye Action ye Governt then settled & subverted all in authority & all other ye inhabitants yt would not joyne in ye sd Action either menaced ovrawed assaulted disarmed robbed seized & imprisoned or chased out of ye Country And about 14 or 15 dayes after then first riseing thus in Armes a generall rendezvous or meeting beeing held at ye aforesd Durants house ye sd Miller by beat of drum & a shout of one & all of ye rabble was accused of Blasphemy, Treason & though in all this time before there was not any such talke agst the sd Miller as ys depont heard butt all quiettly submitted to ye sd Miller & ye rest in authority soe long time as is aforesd upon wch by a 2d shout of one & all of ye sd rabble ye sd Miller was clapt in irons wch this depont saw & further heard many irreverend speeches agst his Majts Proclamations & some of them saing if ye Govr or Lds either were there they would serve them in like mannr thereupon they prceeded to choose an Assembly or Parlamt soe called their drumr being one of their Burgesses this Parlamt deputed 5 of their members to joyne wth ye foresd Foster to make a Courte this Courte appoynted a Jury out of ye foresd rabble the foreman whereof was one Mordichy Bouden a New England traidr & one much indebted to his Majtys for Customes & upon their returne of ye sd Miller's charge or indictemts they were resolved to have put him to death for sevrall had
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vowed & sworne itt but att yt time ye coming in of ye Govrnrs Proclamation wch ye aforesd Ringleadrs would nott permitt to be openly shewn & wch he sent in from Virginia to them he newly arriveing there, did prvent itt Whereupon ye sd rabble desisted from proceeding further wth ye sd Miller's life only after seizing havockeing and embezzling his estate in wtevr specie wherewth to be found & deprived him of ye use & benefitt of his stocke & plantations yea of his owne necessaryes committed him in irons & all ye rest of his Majts Custome officrs & almost all ye rest in authority close prisonrs & sent a strong guard to impede ye sd Govrnr comeing in amongst them till about 5 weekes after he died in Virginia in wch juncture ye sd Culpeper assumeing ye title of his Majtys Collectr by ye promotion & asssistance of ye aforesd his Complyces violently took his Majts concernes out of ye sd Miller's hands prt whereof yt was rec̄ed by ye sd Miller's orders & was allsoe marked for his Majts use this depont saw ye sd Culpeper scratch out ye markes of sundry of ye Hogsheads and dispose of them to some New England traidrs & others and further this depont saith yt ye sd Capt. Zach : Gillam refusing to obey ye Govrnrs Proclamation wch as aforesd was sent in traided wth ye sd Rebells & very frequent in Company wth them in those Confusions sent much Tobacco into Virginia this depont being then in his employ although befor he ye sd Gillam would not open store to sell goods till he sawe wt was done aboute ye sd Miller & ye rest in authority and in May 1678 following this deponent deputed yt County wth ye sd Gillam & left ye sd Miller in a logghouse 10 or 11 foote square purposely built for him close prisonr & kept from all access of friends or humane converse none suffered to come neare him debarrd from pen inck & paper by ye sd Culpeper & his Complyces & this depont a little before he came away was threatned his life if he offered to furnish him wth writeing materialls or to come near ye sd Miller further this depont saith at ye time when sd Miller was their prisonr he sawe sundry Hds Tobacco shipt of by Josh. & Caleb lamb 2 New Engld traidrs from ye aforesd Crawford's plantation undr ye motion of Bate as the said Lambs did afterwards publiquely owne and boast of And furthr this depont saith yt about ye time ye sd Culpeper was bound to New England wth ye sd Gillams sonn viz: Benj. Gillam wth a vessell load of Tobacco, and further saith not

SOLOMON SUMMERS
Jurt 31o die Januar: 1679 to the contents of the other side coram
Wm Mountagu.
SOLOMON SUMMERS