Notes
This law book once belonged to Patrick Henry. It was published in 1785 under the inspection of the judges of the High Court of Chancery. It covers the transition from monarchy into independence that occurred from 1768 through 1783, in three distinct periods: the reign of George III, the Interregnum, and the Republican Period.
"A Collection of All Such Public Acts" reflects a period of change, but at the same time contains a few interesting traces of the past. Many of the penalties remain in pounds of tobacco, even after independence. For example, in 1782 the legislature passed a law increasing the reward for killing wolves in some counties by two hundred pounds of tobacco. Laws like this, especially in comparison to legislation like the Declaration of Rights, stand as a reminder of the coming of modern ideas and day-to-day concerns that existed in late eighteenth-century Virginia.
As a lawyer, Patrick Henry would have been well acquainted with the many laws governing the Commonwealth. It is not known when Henry purchased this volume, however, it was listed on his 1799 inventory as one of two "Virginia Laws."
After Henry's death, the book was thought to have been owned by his brother-in-law Philip Payne (1760–1840) as his signature is seen on page 234. The book was passed down to Lucy Gray Henry Harrison (1857–1944), who offered it for sale as part of the Stan V. Henkels auction in 1910. It is listed in the auction catalog (76.5.2) as "Laws of Virginia," lot 422a, page 67.
The book was then accessioned by the Virginia Historical Society into their collection in 1958, having not been accessioned previously. According to the Society's former director, Virginius C. Hall, Jr., "How long [the book] had been on the Society's shelves prior to that time, or how it came into the collection, I have no way of telling."
The Historical Society deaccessioned the book in November 1987 and offered it for sale through antique booksellers Bookworm & Silverfish. Charles J. Ragland purchased the book in August 1988, then donated it to PHMF the same year.