Colonial Broadside Ordering Payment of Taxes on Slaves as Property "to estimate Negro, Indian and Mulatto Servants"

Slavery. William Foye (1681?-1759). Printed Broadside, to Select-Men or Assessors of the Town of Swanzey and Shawomett, 1p, 7.5" x 12", Massachusetts Bay Colony, August 12, 1747. Headed by the British Royal Coat of Arms, flanked by "G.II" to the left and "R" to the right, with a small diamond shaped paper and wax seal at upper left. Overall toning and scattered foxing. Professional repair to several closed tears at top and bottom of margins. In very good plus condition.

In part: “These are in His Majesty’s Name to Will and Require you forthwith to assess the Sum of four hundred & nineteen pounds five shillings set on your Town or District in Manner following, That is to say, To assess all rateable Male Polls above the Age of Sixteen Years, within your Town or District...at Eight Shillings and Four Pence per Poll...And all Estates both Real and Personal, lying within the Limits of your Town or District...And in making the said Assessment, you are to estimate Houses and Lands at six Years Income of the year Rents...and to estimate Negro, Indian and Mulatto Servants proportionably as other Personal Estate, according to your sound Judgment and Discretion...And you are likewise required to make a fair List of the said Assessment, setting forth in distinct Columns, against each particular Persons Name, how much he or she is assessed at for Polls..."

In May 1747, the General Court passed acts assessing a total tax of £41,982.5.1 on the citizens of the Royal Province of Massachusetts Bay. This broadside assesses a portion of that total to the town of Swansea and Shawomett in southern Massachusetts Bay, on the border with Rhode Island, and orders its collection.

In 1715, the Province of Massachusetts Bay had 2,000 slaves, and that total grew to 2,600 in 1735 and 4,500 in 1755. A 1754 census of slaves in the province reported none in Swansea and 122 slaves in Bristol County, out of nearly 3,000 in the state. From other sources, however, it seems that Swansea failed to respond to the census, and there were slaves in the area.

Swanzey/Swansey/Swansea was settled by Baptist refugees from Massachusetts Bay. In 1667 Plymouth Colony incorporated Swansea. When Plymouth Colony united with Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691, Swansea came under the government of Massachusetts Bay as part of Bristol County. In 1747, its representative in the General Court was Ezekiel Brown. In 1765, the population of Swansea was 1,840.

Shawomett/Showomet/Somerset was a part of Swansea through most of the eighteenth century. In 1677, the Plymouth Colony Court had taken Showomet as “conquered lands” and sold it to a company of proprietors to help pay debts from King Philip’s War (1675-1676). The Town Meeting of Swansea rejected petitions to set off Shawomet as a separate town in 1720, 1724, and 1789. In 1790, it was separated from Swansea as the town of Somerset.

William Foye served as Treasurer and Receiver General of the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1736 to 1759. At his death, he owned two houses in Boston, a mansion house in Milton, and several slaves.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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