Northampton County (Va.) Judgments, 1655-1816

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Northampton County (Va.) Judgments, 1655-1816. Local government records collection, Northampton County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Summary

Creator:
Northampton County (Va.) Circuit Court.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Northampton County (Va.) Judgments, 1655-1816. Local government records collection, Northampton County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Northampton County (Va.) Judgments, 1655-1816, consist of civil suits in which justice was administered on the strictly formulated rules of common law. The majority of the cases relate to matters of debt.

Biographical / historical:

Northampton County was named probably for the English county, of which Obedience Robins, a prominent early resident of the Eastern Shore, was a native. The county, which originally included all of the peninsula south of Maryland and which was one of the eight shires, or counties, first enumerated in 1634, was first called Accomack. The General Assembly changed the name to Northampton County in 1643. Accomack County was created from Northampton County about 1663, but in October 1670, the General Assembly temporarily reunited the two counties as Northampton County. In November 1673, Accomack County was again separated from Northampton. The county seat is Eastville.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from the circuit court of Northampton County.
Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by surname of plaintiff and then chronological by date when suit ended.

Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
56.25 cu. ft. (125 boxes)