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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Laws of North Carolina, 1670
Carolina. Albemarle County. General Assembly
January 20, 1670
Volume 25, Pages 119-122

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LAWS OF NORTH CAROLINA--1669, AND PRIOR THERETO.
ACTS OF THE ASSEMBLY OF ALBEMARLE RATIFIED AND CONFIRMED BY THE PROPRIETORS, 20 JANUARY, 1669-1670.

(Colonial Entry Book No. 20, pp. 48-52.)

An Act Prohibiting Sueing of Any Persons Within 5 Years.

Whereas, there has not binn sufficient encouragement hitherto granted to persons transporting themselves and Estates into this County to plant or inhabit, for remedy whereof, be it enacted by the Pallatine and Lords Proprietors, by and with the advice and consent of this present Grand Assembly and the authority thereof that noe person transporting themselves into this County after the date hereof shall be liable to be sued during the terme and space of five years after their arrival for any debt contracted or cause of action given without the County and that noe person living in this County shall on any pretense whatsoever receive any letter of Attorney Bill or account to recover any debt within the time above mentioned of a Debtor living here without the said Debtor freely consent to it.

An Act Concerning Marriages.

For asmuch as there may be divers people that are minded to be joyned together in the holy state of Wedlock and for that there is no minister as yet in this County by whom the said partyes may be joined in Wedlock according to the rites and customs of our native Country the Kingdome of England that none may be hindred from this soe necessary a worke for the preservation of mankind and setlement of this County it is enacted And it be enacted by the Pallatine and Lords Proprietors of Carolina by and with the advice and consent of the Present Grand Assembly and authority thereof that any two persons desiring to be joined together in the holy state of matrimony taking three or fower of their Neighbors along with them and repairing to the Governor or any one of the Council before him declareing that they do joyne together in the holy state of Wedlock And doe accept one the other for man and wife; and the said Governor or Councellor before whom such act is performed giving Certificate thereof and the said Certificate being registered in the Secretarys Office or by the Register of the precinct or in such other Office as shall hereafter for that use be provided It shall be deemed a Lawful Marriage and the partyes violating this Marriage shall be punishable as if they had been marryed by a minister according to the rites and Customs of England.

An Act Concerning Transferring of Rights.

There being divers persons who resort into this County and perhaps in a short time leave it againe yett nevertheless whilst they are here they make

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sale of their Rights to land which thing may prove very prejudiciall to our Lords Propriertors and to the speedy setlement of this County be it therefore enacted by the Pallatine and Lords Proprietors by and with the advice and consent of this present Grand Assembly That noe person or person whatsoever shall make sale of their right or Rights to land until he hath binn two compleate years at least an inhabitant of the County.

An Act Exempting New Comers from Paying Levys for One Yeare.

Bee it enacted by the Pallatine and Lords Proprietors by and with the advice and consent of the Grand Assembly and the authority thereof that any person or persons transporting themselves and families into this County to plant and here seate themselves shall be exempted from paying levys for one whole yeare after their arrival. Provided always there be no emergent charges which the Vice Pallatine Counsell and Assembly shall judge extra ordinary.

An Act Against Ingrocers.

Whereas divers adventures have transported Commodyties into this County which hath binn engrosed by some particular person to retaile again at unreasonable rates to the Inhabitants of this County to prevent which inconvenience for the future,

I. It is enacted and be it enacted by the Pallatine and Proprietors by and with the advice and consent of this Grand Assembly and the authority thereof that any person whatsoever within this County that shall after the Publication hereof presume to engross any quantity of goods from any adventurer to sell and retaile againe at unreasonable rates to the Inhabitants shall forfeit for every such offence tenn thousand pounds of tobacco the one halfe to the informer the other halfe to the use of the Lords Proprietors.

II. And it is hereby further declared and enacted by the authority aforesaid that any person or persons that shall buy goods of any adventurer and retaile the same except he cann in tenn days produce the vallew of the said goods soe purchased of his own proper Tobacco or Estate according to the bargaine in kinde he shall be deemed an ingrocer and proceeded against as in this act for that case is provided

Provided nevertheless that this act shall not extend to the prohibiting any one that shall keep Shopp or retaile any sort of comodytys in any Towne that is or shall be erected by the Lords Proprietors or by their order.

An Act Concerning Defraying the Charges of the Governor and Councell.

Whereas there hath never any course been taken for the defraying the necessary charges of the Governor and Councell in time of Courte And for as much as the Grand Assembly doe thinke it unreasonable that they should spend their times in the service of the County and not have their Charges borne be it therefore enacted by the Pallatine and Proprietors by and with the advice and consent of this present Grand Assembly and the authority thereof That there be thirty pounds of Tobacco levyed upon every Action

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that comes into Courte from him that is cast and that it be levyed and collected by the Sheriff with his fees And disposed of by order of the Governor and Councell for defraying their ordinary charge.

An Act What Land Men Shall Hould in One Devidend.

Whereas there are divers men that have right to great tracts of land and not nigh people to manure and people the same by which means the Country will great part thereof lye unseated and unpeopled which may prove prejudiciall to the safety and interest of the Right Honorable the Lords Proprietors of the County For prevention whereof

I. It is therefore enacted and be it enacted by the Pallatine and Lords Proprietors by and with the advice and consent of the Grand Assembly and authority thereof that noe person or persons whatsoever he be within this County under the degree of a Proprietor Land Grave or Cassique shall have liberty for the space of five years next ensuing to survey or ley out about six hundred and sixty acres of Land in one devidend that soe the County may be the speedier seated without express leave obtained from the Lords Proprietors.

II. And it is hereby further enacted that there shall not bee granted in any warrant any quantity of Land but what is allowed according to the quality of the right and is exprest in the Proprietors Instructions concessions or fundamentall Constitutions or forme of Government.

An Act for the Speedier Seating of Land.

Whereas, there are several of the inhabitants within this County that formerly did cleare some small quantity of Land and build some houses thereon which now have forsaken it especially on South Lanchester side of the west of Chowan and other parts of the County And in as much as the said land lyes voyd and unplanted which proves a hindrance to the setlement of the County Bee it therefore enacted by the Pallatine and Lords Proprietors by and with the advice and consent of this Present Grand Assembly and the authority thereof That if any Person or persons that have bestowed any Labor as abovesaid on any land within the County shall not repaire to it and seate the same within six months after the publication hereof that then, it shall and may be lawfull for the Governor and Council to lett it out to any other person to doe it The party to whom it is soe lett out paying to the first labourer soe much as it shall be adjudged by fower honest men to be worth.

An Act Prohibiting Strangers Tradeing With the Indians.

Forasmuch as there is often recourse of Strangers from other parts into this County to truck and trade with the Indians which is conceived may prove very prejudiciall Wherefore be it enacted by the Pallatine and Lords Proprietors by and with the advice and consent of the Grand Assembly and the authority thereof that if any person or persons of what quallity or condition soever they be shall presume to come into this County to truck or trade with any of our neighbouring Indians belonging to the County or that shall be found to have any Indian trade purchased from them or being found or appearing that they come to trade with any Indians as aforesaid

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Whether in their Townes or elsewhere within the County which is hereby left for the Magistrates to judge it shall bee lawfull for any person or persons to apprehend any such persons or Forreigners that shall be found amongst the Indians or elsewhere within the limits of the County and him or them bring before the Governor or any one of the Councell who shall hereby have power to committ them to prison there to abide till they have paid tenn thousand pounds of tobacco and caske otherwise to stand to the censure of the Vice Pallatine and Councell And it is further declared that whatsoever trade is found with the person apprehended One halfe thereof and one halfe of the fine shall belong to the Apprehender and the other halfe to the Lords Proprietors.

The foregoing acts weare past again the 15th of October and sent per Mr. Nixon.