An Act to Increase the sum made payable by former Slaves on the manumission of Slaves and for their better support when manumitted.

Whereas by the sixth clause of an act of the Legislature of this Island, which passed the twenty seventh day of February one thousand seven hundred thirty nine entitled an act for amending an act of this island entitled An Act for the Amending an Act of this Island entitled An Act for the governing of Negroes and providing a proper maintenance and support for such Negroes, Indians or Mulattoes as hereafter shall be manumitted or set free, as also for preventing certain inconveniences from them arising to the Inhabitants of this Island, “It is enacted that whoever should thereafter by Deed or Will or by any other ways or means whatsoever, manumit set free or discharge from Slavery any Negro or other Slave or Slaves such person or persons should for the better support of such Negro or Slave and to prevent their becoming their becoming burthensome to the Parish in which he she or they should live or reside, deposit or direct to be paid into the hands of the Church Warden for the time being of the said Parish for each Negro or other Slave so manumitted set free or discharged from Slavery the sum of Fifty Pounds Current money to be by the said Church Warden, and the Vestry of the said Parish for the time being improved to the best advantage, and the said Vestry should merely direct and appoint the sum four pounds current money for the maintenance and support of such person so manumitted and set free to be annually paid to him or her. And in case such person persons should neglect or refuse to deposit or direct such sum to be paid for the purpose aforesaid the same should by they Church Warden for the time being immediately after such manumission on freedom be recovered by action in the Court of Common Pleas of the Proper Precinct or by a Suit in Equity against the person or persons on his her or their representatives giving such freedom ,and be levied or his her or their proper Estate which is thereby made chargeable with the payment thereof. And if the said Vestry should after the payment or recovery of the sum before mentioned refuse appoint such annual sum to the said free person or the same should not be annually paid to him or her he or she should and is thereby enabled and empowered to recover the said annuity as in case of servants wages before any Justice of the Peace, who is thereby directed and required to hear and determine the same and to proceed thereon against the Church Warden of the said Parish for the time being in manner aforesaid. And whereas by one  of the Act of the Legislature of this Island which passed the twenty second day of January one thousand seven hundred and eighty three entitled ‘An Act for amending an Act of this Island entitled An Act for the governing of Negroes and for providing  a proper maintenance and support for  such Negroes Indians Mulattoes as hereafter shall be manumitted or set free, as also for preventing certain inconveniences from them arising to the inhabitants of this Island. It is enacted that for the future any person who should be minded to manumit or set free any Negro or slave should actually deposit or pay into the hands of the Church Warden for the time being of the Parish in which such person lived or resided the Sum of Fifty Pounds current money and take a receipt or Certificate of the said Church Warden for the same, and without such payment and such Receipt or Certificate the Deed of manumission or instrument of writing should be as to the purpose of manumitting such Slave, void and of no effect and the said Negro or Slave so intended to be manumitted should remain and continue and to all intents and purposes should be as much a Slave as if no such Deed of manumission or instrument of writing had been made and it is therein also further enacted that if any person should thereafter by will or other writing direct any Negro or Slave to be manumitted after the death of such person or at any other future time and the heir at law , Executor or other person so directed to manumit such slave should in order to save the said sum of Fifty Pounds, and to retain the said Slave in Slavery neglect to pay the sum of Fifty Pounds current money into the hands of the Church Warden of the Parish and to manumit the said Slave within three Months after the time appointed for the manumission of the said Slave the said Church Warden might and he is thereby authorized and required to sue in his own name in the Court of the proper Precinct or proceed by suit in Equity for the said sum of Fifty pounds and as soon as he should recover and receive the same he should execute a Deed of manumission in his own name which should be effectual to manumit and set free the said Negro or Slave and whereas in consequence of the increased price of all the necessary articles of life the sum of four pounds Current money of this Island which has been hitherto allowed annually, for the maintenance and support of persons manumitted and set free is now become insufficient for that clause not purpose.

Clause 1st Be it therefore enacted by this Excellency The Right Honorable Francis Lord Seaforth Captain General Governor and Commander in Chief of this Islan, Chancellor Ordinary and the Vice Admiral of the same The Honorable the Members of this Majesty’s Council and the General Assembly of this Island, and by the authority of the same that from and after the passing of this act instead of Fifty Pounds as prescribed by the said recited Acts there shall be paid for every Female Slave to be manumitted the sum of Three Hundred Pounds current money by the person manumitting such Female Slave into the hands of the Church Warden for the for the time being of the Parish wherein such person shall live or reside for the use of the said Parish, and the Vestry of the said Parish shall direct and appoint the sum of Eighteen Pounds unto such female slave current money for the maintenance and support of such Slave so manumitted to be annually paid her. And for every Male Slave so manumitted the Sum of two hundred pounds to be paid in like manner, and such male Slave so manumitted as aforesaid to receive the sum of twelve pounds current money as also aforesaid. And all and every powers and authorities vested in such Church Warden by the said recited acts or either of them for enforcing the payment of the said former Sum of Fifty Pounds shall be and the same are here by vested in him for enforcing the payment of the said Sums of three hundred pounds and two hundred pounds, and if the said Vestry, after Receipt of the said Sums of Three hundred pounds or two hundred pounds by the said Church Warden shall refuse to appoint such annual sum of Eighteen pounds or Twelve pounds to the said free person or the same shall not be annually paid to him or her he or she may and is hereby authorized and empowered to recover the same as in case of Servants wages on complaint made to any Justice of the Peace, who is hereby directed and required to hear and determine the same, and to proceed thereon against the Church Warden fo the time being of the said Parish. 

Clause 2nd. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid that all and every the provisions ~ matters and things in the said recited Act of the twenty second day of January one thousand seven hundred and eighty three made and prescribed with respect to the said former Sum of Fifty Pounds made payable by the said former Acts shall be and the same are hereby extended to the said Sums of Three hundred Pounds, and two hundred pounds by this present act made payable on the future Manumission of any Slave as fully and effectually to all intents and purposes as if the same were herein~ replicated and in express words enacted.

Read three times and passed the Council unanimously this 12th day of May 1801

John A Beckles- D Clerk of the Council

Read three times and passed the General Assembly Mem. Con. The 12th day of May 1801. Sam Moore, Clerk of the General Assembly

Assembled to by His Excellency the same day 

John A Beckles

D Secry [Secretary]:

A true Copy from the Secretary’s office attested this 23rd of April 1827