Elizabeth Key Case: The illegitimate daughter of an enslaved black
mother and a free white settler father, Elizabeth Key spent the first
five or six years of her life at home. Then in 1636, ownership of
Elizabeth was transferred to another white settler, for whom she was
required to serve for nine years before being released from bondage. At
some point, ownership was transferred again, this time to a justice of
the peace. When this owner died in 1655, Elizabeth, through her lawyer,
petitioned the court, asking for her freedom; by this time she had
already served 19 years. The court granted her her freedom.
Unfortunately, the decision was appealed to a higher court. The court
overturned the decision, ruling that Elizabeth was a slave. Elizabeth
and her lawyer didn't stop there. They petitioned the General Assembly,
which appointed a committee to look into the matter. The committee sent
the case back to the courts for retrial. Elizabeth was ultimately freed.
The Case of Elizabeth Key, 1655/56Northumberland County Record
Books,
1652-1658, fols. 66-67, 85,1658-1660, fol. 28; Northumberland
Counry Order Book,
1652-1665, fols.40, 46, 49.
The Court doth
order that Col. Thomas Speke one of the overseers ofthe Estate of Col.
John Mottrom deceased shall have an Appeale to theQuarter Court next att
James Citty in
a Cause depending betweene thesaid overseers and
Elizabeth a Moletto hee the said Col.
Speke givingsuch caution as to
Law doth belong.Wee whose names are underwritten
being impannelled
upon a Jury to trya difference between Elizabeth pretended Slave to
the Estate of Col.John Mottrom deceased and the overseers of the said
Estate doe
findethat the said Elizabeth ought to be free as by
severall oathes mightappeare which we
desire might be Recorded and
that the charges ofCourt be paid out of the said Estate.
[names of
the jury omitted]Memorandum it is Conditioned and agreed by and betwixt
Thomas Key onthe one part and Humphrey Higginson on the other part [word
missing]that the said Thomas Key hath put unto the said Humphrey one
NegroGirle by
name Elizabeth for and during the [term?] of nine
yearesaftel the date hereof provided
that the [said?] Humphrey doe
find andallow the said Elizabeth meate drinke {and?]
apparrell during
the saidtearme And allso the said Thomas Key that if that if [sic] the
saidHumphrey doe dye before the end of the said time abovespecified
thatthen the said
Girl be free from the said Humphrey Higginson and
hisassignes Allsoe if the said
Humphrey Higginson doe goe for
Englandwith an Intention to live and remaine there that
then hee
shall carry[the?] said Girle with him and to pay for her passage and
likewisethat
he put not of of[f] the said Girle to any man but tc
keepe herhimselfe In witness whereof I
the said Humphrey Higginson
Sealed anddelivered in the presence of us Robert Booth
Francis
Miryman 20thJanuary 1655 this writing was Recorded.Mr. Nicholas Jurnew
aged
53 yeares or thereabouts sworne and ExaminedSayth That about 16
or 17 yeares past this
deponent heard a flyingreport at Yorke that
Elizabeth a Negro Servant to the Estate of
Col.John Mottrom deceased
was the Childe of Mr. Kaye but the said Mr. Kayesaid that a
Turke of
Capt. Mathewes was Father to the Girle and fur-ther this deponent sayth
not
signed Nicholas Jurnew20th January 1655 Jurat in Curia [i.e.,
"sworn in court"]Anthony
Lenton aged 41 yeares or thereabouts sworne
and Examined Sayththat about 19 yeares
past this deponent was a
servant to Mr. HumphreyHigginson and at that time one
Elizabeth a
Molletto nowe servant tothe Estate of Col. John Mottrom deceased was
then a
servant to thesaid mr. Higginson and as the Neighbours
reported was bought of
mrHigginson with the said servant both himself
and his Wife intended avoyage for
England and at the nine yeares end
( as the Neighboursreported ) the said Mr Higginson
was bound to
carry the said servantfor England unto the said mr. Kaye, but before the
said
mr Kaye wenthis Voyage hee Dyed about Kecotan, and as the
Nei,ghbours reported
thesaid mr. Higginson said that at the nine
yeares end hee would carrythe said Molletto
for England and give her
a portion and lett hershift for her selfe And it was a Common
report
amongst the Neighboursthat the said Molletto was mr Kays Child begott by
him
and furtherthis deponent sayth not the marke of Anthony Lenton
20th January 1655Jurat
in CurlaMrs. Elizabeth Newman aged 80 yeares
or thereabouts sworne and exam-ined
Sayth that it was a common Fame
in Virginia that Elizabeth aMolletto nowe servant to
the Estate of
Col. John Mottrom deceased wasthe Daughter of mr. Kay; and the said Kaye
was brought to Blunt-pointCourt and there fined for getting his Negro
woman with
Childe whichsaid Negroe was the Mother of the said
Molletto and the said fine wasfor
getting the Negro with Childe which
Childe was the said Elizabethand further this
deponent sayth not the
marke of Elizabeth Newman 20thJanuary 1655 Jurat in CuriaJohn
Bayles
aged 33 yeares or thereabouts sworne and Examined SaythThat at the House
of
Col. John Mottrom Black Besse was tearmed to bemr Kayes Bastard
and John Keye
calling her Black Bess mrs. SpekeChecked him and said
Sirra you must call her Sister for
shee is yourSister and the said
John Keye did call her Sister and further thisdeponent
Sayth not the
marke of John Bayles 20th January 1655 Jurat inCuriaThe deposition of
Alice Larrett aged 38 yeares or thereabouts Sworneand Examined Sayth
that Elizabeth
which is at Col. Mottroms is twentyfive yeares of age
or thereabouts and that I saw her
mother goe to bedto her Master many
times and that I heard her mother Say that shee
wasmr. Keyes daughter
and further Sayth not the marke of Alice LarrettSworne before
mr.
Nicholas Morris Igth Jan. 1655. 20th January thisdeposition was
RecordedAnne
Clark aged 39 or thereabouts Sworne and Examined Sayth
that sheethis deponent was
present when a Condition was made betweene
mr. Hum-phrey Higginson and mr. Kaye
for a servant called Besse a
Molletto andthisdeponents Husband William Reynolds nowe
deceased was
a witness butwhether the said Besse after the Expiration of her time
from
mr Hig-ginson was to be free from mr Kaye this deponent cannot
tell and mrHigginson
promised to use her as well as if shee were his
own Childand further this deponent Sayth
not Signum Ann Clark 20th
January1655. Jurat in Curia Elizabeth Newman aged 80
yeares or
thereabouts Sworne and ExaminedSayth that shee this deponent brought
Elizabeth a Molletto, Servant tothe Estate of Col. John Mottrom deceased
to bed of two
Children andshee layd them both to William Grinsted and
further this DeponentSayth not
Elizabeth Newman her marke 20th
January 1655 Jurat in CuriaA Report of a Comittee
from an Assembly
Concerning the freedome ofElizabeth KeyIt appeareth to us that shee
is the daughter of Thomas Key by severallEvidences and by a fine imposed
upon the said
Thomas for getting hermother with Child of the said
Thomas That she hath bin by verdict
of aJury impannelled 20th January
1655 in the County of Northumberlandfound to be free
by severall
oathes which the Jury desired might beRecorded That by the Comon Law the
Child of a Woman slave begott by afreeman ought to bee free That shee
hath bin long
since ChristenedCol. Higginson being her God father and
that by report shee is able
togive a very good account of her fayth
That Thomas Key sould her onelyfor nine yeares
to Col. Higginson with
severall conditions to use hermore Respectfully then a Comon
servant
or slave That in case Col.Higginson had gone for England within nine
yeares hee
was bound tocarry her with him and pay her passage and not
to dispose of her toany other
For theise Reasons wee conceive the
said Elizabeth ought tobee free and that her last
Master should give
her Corne and Cloathesand give her satisfaction for the time shee hath
served longer thenShee ought to have done. But forasmuch as noe man
appeared against
thesaid Elizabeths petition wee thinke not fitt a
determinative judgementshould passe but
that the County or Quarter
Court where it shall benext tried to take notice of this to be the
sence of the Burgesses ofthis present Assembly and that unless [original
torn] shall
appear tobe executed and reasons [original torn] opposite
part Judgement by thesaid
Court be given [accordingly?]Charles
Norwood Clerk AssemblyJames Gaylord hath
deposed that this is a true
coppyJames Gaylord21th July 1656 Jurat in Curia 21th July
1656 This
writeing was recordedAtt a Grand Assembly held at James Citty 20th of
March
1655 Orderedthat the whole business of Elizabeth Key [and?] the
report of theComittee
thereupon be returned [to the?] County Court
where the saidElizabeth Key livethThis is a
true copy from the book
of Records of the Order granted thelast AssemblyTeste Robert
Booth21th July 1656 This Order of Assembly was RecordedUpon the petition
of George
Colclough one of the overseers of Col.Mottrom his Estate
that the cause concerning a
Negro wench named BlackBesse should be
heard before the Governor and Councell
Whereof inregard of the Order
of the late Assembly referring the said caise tothe
Governor and
Councell at least upon Appeale made to them These aretherefore in his
Highness the Lord Protector his name to will andrequire the
Commissioners of the
County of Northumberland to Surceasefrom any
further proceedings on the said Cause
and to give notice tothe
parties interested therein to appear before the Governor at thenext
Quarter Court on the fourth day for a determination thereof.Given under
my hand this 7th
of June 1656. Edward Digges 21th 1656This Writeing
was Recorded.Whereas mr.
George Colclough and mr. William Presly
overseers of theEstate of Colonell John
Mottrom deceased were
Summoned to theis Courtat the suite of Elizabeth Kaye both
Plaintiffe
and Defendant beingpresent and noe cause of action at present appearing
The
Court doththerefore order that the said Elizabeth Kaye shall be
non-suited andthat
William Grinsted Atturney of the said Elizabeth
shall by thetenth of November next pay
fifty pounds of tobacco to the
said over-seers for an non-suite with Court charges else
Execution.
Whereas thewhole business concerning Elizabeth Key by Order of Assembly
was Re-ferred to this County Court. According to the Report of a
Comittee atan
Assembly held at the same time which upon the Records
of this Coun-ty appears, It is the
judgment of this Court that the
Said ElizabethKey ought to be free and forthwith to have
Corne
Clothes and Satisfac-tion according to the said Report of the Comittee.
Mr.
William Thomasdissents from this judgment.These are to Certifie
whome it may
concerne that William Greensted andElizabeth Key intends
[sic] to be joyned in the Holy
Estate of Matri-mony. If any one can
shew any Lawfull cause why they may not be
joynedtogether lett them
Speake or ever after hold their tongues SignumWilliam
Greensted
Signum Elizabeth Key 21th July 1656 this Certificate was Published in
open
Court and isRecorded
I Capt. Richard Wright administrator of
the Estate of Col. JohnMottrom deceased doe
assigne and transfer unto
William Greensted amaid servant formerly belonging unto the
Estate of
the said Col. Mott-rom commonly called Elizabeth Key being nowe Wife
unto
the said Green-sted and doe warrant the said Elizabeth and doe
bind my Selfe to savehere
[i.e., her] and the said Greensted from any
molestation or trou-ble that shall or futurely
arise from or by any
person or persons thatshall pretend or claime any title or interest to
any manor of service[original torn] from the said Elizabeth witness [my
ha]nd this 21th
ofJuly 1659Test William Th [omas] Richard Wright
James Aust[en]B.
Source: University of Chicago
If you have questions, contributions, or problems with this site, email:
Northumberland County Coordinator - Rebecca Maloney
State Coordinator: Jeff Kemp
Asst. State Coordinators:
If you have questions or problems with this site, email the County Coordinator. Please to not ask for specfic research on your family. I am unable to do your personal research.