MASSACHUSETTS: WARNINGS OUT. Group of 61 manuscript documents, in ink, various dates, 1705-1791, being 'Warnings Out' records from town selectmen of communities in Southeastern Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. All with browning, some folded, a few with edge chips. Warning Out records were a legal record of action taken against people deemed undesirable in New England colonial communities. Most of these towns held laws preventing anyone from settling there without the approval of the current residents, a concept that has a legal basis dating back to Roman times, when citizens of Rome were obligated to stay in the communities they were born in. There were also legal precedents in English law dating to the late 15th century. In the context of New England settlements, these laws took on a greater meaning, as many communities were formed from a single religious sect, seeking to exclude anyone who was not part of their congregation. With the founding of the United States, the constitutionality of these local laws became doubtful, but as the country expanded westward, the same principle was often applied to new communities on the frontier. Lot to be sold without reserve. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ¤ ¤ Without reserve For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com