Notes
Magistrate's bells like this were used to bring the court to order, prevent civil unrest, and stop interruptions.
According to family tradition, the bell originally came from Scotchtown in Hanover County, Virginia, where Patrick Henry lived from 1771 to 1778. It was reportedly acquired by Patrick and Sarah Shelton Henry (1738–1775) from his father, John, who was himself a magistrate (a civilian official who helped administer the law).
This magistrate’s bell was stored for many years in the dining room at Leatherwood plantation in Henry County, Virginia. It was transferred to the donor's family in North Carolina around 1818 at the death of Patrick Henry's eldest daughter, Martha Henry Fontaine (1755–1818).
Charles J. Ragland Jr. (1933–2021), a Patrick Henry descendant, donated the bell on February 28, 1983.