[MONTSERRAT]

Acts of Assembly, Passed in the Island of Montserrat; from 1668 to 1740, Inclusive. [bound with]: Acts of Assembly, Passed in the Charibbee Leeward Islands, from 1690, to 1705.

London: John Baskett, 1740. Folio. (14 3/4 x 8 3/4 inches). x, 146; v, 24, [4] pp.

Modern 3/4 calf over marbled paper boards. Faint library stamp on titlepage.

Rare large paper copy of the laws of Montserrat and the Leeward Islands.

Laws of the island of Montserrat, from its early settlement through the first half of the 18th-century. Settled by the British in the mid-17th century, Montserrat was, like most of the islands in the West Indies, a plantation colony producing sugar and cotton. It was also heavily Irish, many Irish being transported there as indentured servants and laborers during Cromwell's reign over the British Isles, and it also had African slaves. Laws here include those pertaining to trade, roads, and other commonplace matters. There are also many acts regarding slavery, such as "An Act for restraining the liberty of Negroes, and to prevent the running away of Christian servants." Similar acts outline the punishments given to enslaved Africans for theft and leaving their plantations without a license, as well as penalties for slave-owners who disregarded slavery laws on the islands. The present copy also includes the laws of the Leeward Islands, passed from 1690 to 1705, likewise printed in London by John Baskett. These pertain to the islands in general, governing general assemblies and trade, but also the enslaved population, such as the following act which allowed an extra gun for every ten slaves owned: "An Act for the finding Supernumerary Arms, to be proportionable according to the number of every person's Negroes, within these his Majesty's Leeward Charibbee Islands in America."

Sabin 50225; ESTC T72510.

Item #28896

Price: $4,800.00