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ekJ,
itieseiioisteroiisIJmes.. .
ILIIIII
i
THEI.•76
Alexander
Purdie, Virginia Gazette,
January 1, 1776
APRIL
1976
RE6ORD
April 18- 24, 1976
t
April 19, 1776
COPY
wIL
,'
M r. Purdie,
The impositions
and
exactions
on
the
publick by
the
TAVERN- KEEPERS
in
this colony
in
PAMPHLET
general, as well as in Williamsburg, is so exorbitant, as to call for some mode of redress by those to
whom that power belongs. No colony on this continent is allowed greater profit on vending and
retailing provision than this, but that does not satisfy the voracious publican. By the law, the courts
settle the rates of provision, etc. which is to be put up in the tavern. This is neglected, the better to
facilitate the design; and, countenanced by those whose duty it is to detect such proceedings, by
paying every unjust charge in the tavern-keeper' s bill (from a mistaken notion that it is below the
dignity of a gentleman to contest small accounts) they go on with impunity. It is hoped, therefore,
that all tavern- keepers will immediately put up the rates allowed by the court in the most conspic-
uous part of the tavern, or be punished for such neglect.
I am, sir,
An ENEMY
to IMPOSITIONS
Colonial law required county courts to fix annually prices of" liquors, diet, lodging, provender,
stablage, fodder, and pasturage" that ordinary- or tavern- keepers could charge. The law required
ordinary-keepers to obtain copies of the rates " which shall be openly set up in the publick enterOccasionally the law was disregarded.
The complaint of the " Enemy to Impositions" probably resulted from the fact that the York
taining
room."
County Court did not fix ordinary rates in March 1776 as was the usual practice. The justices of
York County evidently thought that the colonial law no longer applied, and they did not set rates
again until 1780 after a new law was passed.
April 25- 30, 1976
April 26, 1776
April 26.
Mr. Purdie,
In these distressed times, in which our American rights, both civil and religious, are invaded, it is
well to adopt that late maxim among politicians," United we stand, divided we fall." To this end, the
dissenters( equally attached to America' s liberty) ought to petition their rulers for the removal of that
yoke, that in these scarce times is become more grievous, in paying the established clergy. and
being still obliged to have the solemnization of matrimony by them. A word to the wise is enough.
A Dissenter from the Church of England.
Even though dissenters from the Established Church in Virginia were allowed to attend their
own services, the colonial government required them to pay taxes for the maintenance of the
Established Church. In December the Assembly passed an act to exempt dissenters from con-
tributing to the support of the Church of England. It was offered as a compromise after Jefferson' s
proposal to disestablish the church completely. Ten years later Jefferson' s famous Bill for Religious
Freedom
finally
became law in Virginia.
FILE
�On April 26, 1776, John Page, vice-president of the Virginia Committee of Safety, wrote Thomas
Jefferson:
Would you believe it, that we have not yet erected one Powder Mill at the public Expence. . .
and I have not been able to procure the least Assistance from the Committee for Bucktrout' s handMill,
except
their
selling him
about
400 lb.
of
Salt- petre . . .
although his Mill is an elegant
Machine and 2 Men can work it with ease, beating with 6 Pestles weighing 60 lbs. each in Mortars
containing 20 lbs. of Paste, and he has actually beat 120 lb. of Powder in them and grained 40 lb.
which has been used in proving Cannon etc. and which was found to be strong and good under every
disadvantage of want of Sieves and being made with bad Sulphur and Nitre. And he has been at great
pains in erecting his Mill and Apparatus for it, and for a Salt- petre work with it, yet the Committee
of Safety refused any Motion to allow him 30 or 40 pounds as a Reward for his public Spirit and
Ingenuity and to enable him to go on with his Plan.
Benjamin Bucktrout, an enterprising cabinetmaker, lived on Francis Street and engaged in a
variety of businesses. He not only worked as a cabinetmaker but also as a paper hanger, retail
merchant, and during the Revolution he was purveyor for the State Military Hospital in Williams-
burg. Bucktrout's versatility was not unusual among Virginia craftsmen. Because of the scarcity of
skilled workers in colonial Virginia, most craftsmen worked in every field in which they had some
talents. The demands of the public did not allow them to specialize. Some craftsmen, too
ambitious, became over-extended, but others were better managers and accumulated substantial
estates.
Although he engaged in a variety of businesses, Bucktrout was a successful manager. Character-
istically, he saw that gunpowder would be in short supply because trade with Britain was cut off and
he set out to construct a powder mill in Williamsburg. The state government did not support his
mill and because it was difficult to obtain sulfur and saltpeter, his mill probably did not prosper.
Colonial
Williamsburg
Foundation
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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These Boisterous Times
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1976
Description
An account of the resource
“<em>These Boisterous Times…</em>” The Week in ’76 was a newsletter produced by the Colonial Williamsburg Department of Preservation and Research in 1976. Compiled by historian Harold Gill, the newsletter consisted of notable entries from the Virginia Gazette newspaper dated 1776 along with some additional historical background of the mentioned event or person. The newsletter was intended to assist Colonial Williamsburg’s interpreters with adding additional emphasis to events associated with 1776 during the celebration of the American Revolution Bicentennial (United States Bicentennial) in 1976.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
These Boisterous Times April 18-30, 1976
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1976-04-30