Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

THE COURTHOUSE OF 1770

In 1769 the justices of James City County and the mayor, recorder, aldermen, and Common Council of the City of Williamsburg agreed to erect a new Courthouse in Williamsburg, for their common use and at their joint expense.

At that time the James City County Courthouse - built in 1715 stood near the southwest corner of Francis and England Streets.¹ The Hustings Court and Common Hall of Williamsburg, which at first met in the "Court House of James City County on Courtesie," had, since 1745, met in the old Playhouse on Palace Green, which had been altered and repaired for that purpose.² We do not know what prompted the 2. decision to build the new courthouse in 1769 - probably the buildings were either inadequate or had deteriorated beyond the point of reasonable repair.¹

It is indeed unfortunate that the early records for James City County and for the Hustings Court and Common Hall of Williamsburg have been destroyed.² Lacking these most pertinent sources, there are many gaps in our information concerning the earlier buildings, as well as the Courthouse of 1770. We have no detailed information on this building or its furnishings.

In March, 1769, the following notice appeared in the two Virginia Gazettes then published in Williamsburg: 3.

"WILLIAMSBURG, March 16, 1769.

THE COMMON HALL having this day determined to build a commodious BRICK COURT-HOUSE, in this city, and having appointed us to agree with an undertaker to build the same; we do hereby give notice that we shall meet at Mr. Hay's [the Raleigh Tavern], on Tuesday the 4th day of April , to let the building thereof. We are also appointed to dispose of the present Court-House, and the ground on which the same stands.
JAMES COCKE,
JAMES CARTER,
JOHN CARTER,
JOHN TAZEWELL.

N.B. The Plan of the above Court-House, may be seen at Mr. Hay's at any time."¹

We have no information as to this plan;² nor do we know whether it was prepared before or after the decision to erect the building for the joint use of the County of James City and the City of Williamsburg. The first surviving record that the proposed building was to house both county and city appeared in the Journals of the House of Burgesses for May 22, 1770, after it was decided to erect the courthouse on a part of the Market Square which stood in York County. The city and the county petitioned the House of Burgesses to change the county lines to include the site selected for the courthouse in James City County as follows: 4.

"Tuesday, the 22d of May, 10 Geo. III. 1770.

...
A Petition of the Justices of the County of James City , was presented to the House, and read; setting forth that the Petitioners and Corporation of the City of Williamsburg had, for their mutual Convenience and Benefit, entered into a Contract to build a commodious Court-House at their joint Expence; but that there is no Situation fit for the Purpose, within the Line of the said County, as it is now established; and therefore praying that an Act may pass for adding to the said County so much of the Market Square, in the said City, as lies on the North Side of the Main Street, as far as Nicholson Street, and between Hugh Walker's Lot and the Paling where Mr Haldenby Dixon's Store stands, and for empowering the Petitioners to sell a Lot of Land, whereon their present Court-House stands, in the said City, and applying the proceeds of such Sale towards discharging their Proportion of the Expence of building a new Court-House.

And also
A Petition of the Mayor, Recorder, Alderman [sic], and Common Council, of the City of Williamsburg , was presented to the House, and read; setting forth their Agreement with the Court of the County of James City to join in building a Court-House on the Market Square of the said City; and therefore praying that Part of the said Market Square may be added to the said County of James City , and that the Petitioners may be permitted to use the Guard-House, in the said City, the Guard being discontinued, as and for a Market-House.

Ordered , That the said several Petitions be severally referred to the Committee of Propositions and Grievances; and that they do examine the Matter thereof, and report the same, with their Opinion thereupon, to the House."¹

The matter was so referred, and a bill "for adding Part of the City of Williamsburg to James City County, and for other Purposes therein mentioned," was presented and read in the House the first time on June 7th. It was committed to "Mr Blair, Mr Treasurer [Robert Carter Nicholas], Mr Lewis Burwell , of James City ," on June 11th as amended and engrossed, and passed the House on June 23rd. 5. It received the assent of the Council on June 26th, and the governor, Lord Botetourt, approved it on June 28, 1770.¹ The resulting act follows:

"An act to annex part of the county of York to the county of James City, and for other Purposes therein mentioned .²

I. WHEREAS it hath been represented to this general assembly that the justices of James City county have entered into an agreement with the mayor, recorder, aldermen and common council, of the city of Williamsburg to build a new court-house at their joint expence, and for their common use and benefit, but it so happens that no convenient place can be found, whereon to erect the said court-house, except on that part of the market square which lies on the north side of Duke of Gloucester street, in the said city, and which by the present dividing line between the said county of James City and the county of York.³ is contained in the said county of York; Be it therefore enacted, by the Governor, Council, and Burgesses of this present General Assembly … That so much of the said market-square as lies on the north side of the PLAT OF WILLIAMSBURG-RED LINE SHOWING 1769 DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN JAMES CITY AND YORK COUNTIES. 6. said street, as far as Nicholson street, and between the line of Hugh Walker's lot, on the west, and the paling where Haldenby Dixon's store stands on the east, be, and the same is hereby added to and made part of the said county of James City; any thing, in any former law, contained to the contrary thereof, notwithstanding.

II. And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid , That the said justices of James City, be, and they are hereby impowered to sell, at public auction, for the best price that can be got for the same, the land whereon their present court-house and prison stand (being part of a lot in the said city) together with the court-house, and that they, the said justices, or any four of them shall and may convey the same to the purchaser or purchasers in fee simple, and shall apply the money arising from such sale towards discharging their proportion of the expenses of building the new court-house.

III. And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid , That the justices of the said county of James city, and the mayor, recorder, aldermen, and common council, of the said city of Williamsburg, shall, at all times hereafter, maintain and keep in repair the said court-house at their joint expence, and for their common use and benefit.

IV. Saving to the king's most excellent majesty, his heirs and successors, and to all and every other person and persons, bodies politic and corporate, other than the said justices of James city county, all such right, title, interest, claim, and demand, as they, every, or any of them, could or might have to the said parcel of land, and court-house, if this act had never been made."

We do not know just when the new Courthouse was completed. In July, 1770, notice was given that the old James City County Courthouse would be sold at the next court:

"At a Court held for JAMES CITY county , July 9, 1770.
ORDERED,
THAT the sheriff give notice twice in the Virginia Gazette that the courthouse of this county, and the lot whereon it stands, 7. will be sold, pursuant to law, at publick auction, to the highest bidder, at the next court, upon such terms as shall be then directed by the court.
BEN. WALLER, Cl. Cur."¹

The Virginia Gazettes which are extant throw no further light on the terms of the sale or the purchaser. The courthouse property may have been purchased at this time by the Treasurer of the Colony, Robert Carter Nicholas; for seven years later he offered for sale the square of eight lots, including the courthouse lot, on which a large dwelling-house and outbuildings had been erected.²

In September, 1770, the City of Williamsburg conveyed the old Hustings Courthouse and the lot of ground whereon the old Playhouse stood, "with six feet of Ground adjoining the said Play House on every side," to John Tazewell for £50.³

It is probable that the new Courthouse was ready for use by the time the two buildings were sold.

Stone steps for the new Courthouse were ordered from England. We have found no copy of the order in surviving records, but on July 2, 1772, William Nelson, President of the Council, and merchant of Yorktown, wrote to Samuel Martin in London:

"…I am particularly, to thank you for procuring the Stone-steps for the Court-house in Williamsburg, which came in good Order, and 8. are to the entire Satisfaction of those concerned in the Building. Mr Nicholas I expect will acknowledge your Civility in sending them Freight free."¹

Our next information concerning the building has to do with repairs and minor changes, made in 1777. In the ledger of Humphrey Harwood, a local brick mason and builder, charges were made for mending and whitewashing the Court Room; for plastering; for "Cuting away Chimney & Working in 2 New Grates"; for two "Iron Grates & barrs" weighing 137 pounds; and for whitewashing three jury rooms:

	"EDMUND RANDOLPH Esqr (for Court House)	Dr
1777
January 29th	To 12 bushs lime 9/- hair 9d Mendg plastering 2/- & labours work 2/6	£ -:14: 3
	To White washing Court Room 17/6 & 2-½ bushels of Whitewash 3/9	1: 1: 3
February 27.	To 12 Bushs of lime 9/. 250 bricks 6/10-1/2, 3 Days labour 6/.	1: 1:10-½
	To Cuting away Chimney & Working in 2 New Grates 17/6 & plasterg [illegible]	1:17: 6
	To 2 Iron Grates & barrs wt 137 lbs @ 9d & 3 days labour @ 2/	5: 8: 9
	To 250 larths 2/6. 750 Nails 7/6 10.18.1-½	-:10: -
April 15	To Whitewashing 3 Jurey Rooms @ 8/	1: 4: -
		£11:17: 7-½

	PER CONTRA	Cr
1777
Septemr 27th	By Cash Received of Colo Wm Finnie by Order of Colo Mason)	£10:15: -"2

Harwood's account of repairs (1777) mentioned the Court Room and three jury rooms. There were doubtless two rooms in each wing of the building. In describing the building as he recalled it ca. 1860, 9. Mr. John S. Charles stated that there were originally two rooms in the eastern wing and two in the western wing. Although his recollections concerned the building nearly a century after its erection, Mr. Charles mentioned certain details which he believed to be original. Lacking contemporary information, we quote Mr. Charles' description here:

"The old 'Court House' has now much the appearance that it did when negroes were hired and sold in front of it. The porch in front had no columns as is seen today [ca. 1928]. The roof projected over the porch, as it does today; but was supported by big timbers that were fastened with iron straps to immense roof beams on the inside.

"There were four rooms, two in the eastern wing, and two in the western wing; but after the war the clerk's office, which stood on Francis Street, being burned, the two eastern jury rooms were thrown into one for the clerk's office as it is today. The original steps to the court house were made of red sand stone with moulding out on the front edge which made them attractive. These have been supplanted by the present cement steps. It is said that the old clock on Bruton Church steeple was removed from the court house to where it would receive better care."¹

The steps described above may have been those which had arrived from England by 1772.² The clock³ which was in the second Williamsburg Capitol is said to have been removed from that building to the Courthouse. We have found no record of this move; but there is record in the Bruton Parish Vestry Book on July 14, 1840, that 10. the "Town authorities have permission to have the Town clock removed to the church and fixed therein."¹ This gives weight to Mr. Charles' statement. It is possible that the clock from the Capitol was moved to the Courthouse cupola at some period between 1780 and 1824;² and that this was "the Town clock" which was removed to the church in 1840. Both the installation of the clock in the Courthouse cupola, and its removal, would have called for alterations in the cupola itself.

There were no columns on the Courthouse of 1770, although it has been thought that columns must have been intended when the building was planned, because of the size of the pediment.³ One architect, Benjamin Latrobe, who visited Williamsburg about twenty-six years after the Courthouse was erected, believed they had disappeared:

[April, 1796] "The Courthouse which stands on the North side of the Street, has lost all the columns of its Portico, and the Pediment sticks out like a Penthouse, carried only by timbers that bind into the roof. Many ruined and uninhabited houses disgrace the street."⁴

Whether originally intended or not, we can be reasonably sure that the Courthouse had no columns during the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries. Although it is possible, it is hardly probable that columns would have disappeared in twenty-six years, when Latrobe noted their absence. All nineteenth century pictures of the building show it without columns.¹

Apparently, the building was not considered particularly noteworthy by visitors to Williamsburg. Although eighteenth and nineteenth century visitors often praised or criticized the other public buildings, the Courthouse was only casually mentioned or entirely left out of descriptions of the town.

In 1781 a chaplain of the American Army described the Capitol and the Palace as "very grand buildings," and added "The court-house and the church are also good buildings."²

Johann David Schoepf visited Williamsburg in 1783, and wrote as follows of the Courthouse Green:

"Williamsburg. We arrived there in two days' journey from Richmond…
Midway of the chief thoroughfare on the south side, stands a little six-cornered building, surrounded by a wall, which was formerly an arsenal; and over against this is the Court-house. Both buildings stand a little back from the street so as to form a Square, from which one has a view of the most important buildings and the finest part of the town. The palace … also on the north side of the principal street, lies in ruins…"³

In 1795 St. George Tucker, a citizen of Williamsburg, wrote:

"…The hospital for lunatics, a church, the town and county court house, and a magazine, now occupied as a market house, complete the list of public edifices: neither of them appears to have been constructed with any view to architectural fame."¹

Other than the Harwood account of 1777 already quoted,² and Mr. Charles' description of the Courthouse ca. 1860,³ we have little information as to the interior of the building. In a manuscript account book of Robert H. Waller,⁴ there is one account for work, some of which may have been done at the Courthouse of 1770 - certainly one or two items concern it:

	"The Corpn of Williamsburg	Dr
1799		£ s d
Sep. 9th	To Cash paid Thos Sans for makg new window sash furnishg Glass & glazing	2 4 9
1800
June	To lock for the front door & paid Middleton for putg it on	0 8 0
Octo	To Cash pd William Dick for Funnel for Stove of Ct House one moiety	1 17 6
	To pd for mendg the Top of the Office findg Shingles & Nails &c	- 8 -
1802
Mar 1st	To pd John Bowden for Repairs done to the Capitol	1 0 0…"

Another account, in 1804, noted new handrailings and banisters for the James City Courthouse,⁵ as follows: 13.

"1804	Mr John Bowden to R: H: Waller	Dr
10th March	to 4 pieces of old Poplar scantling work'd you and wash'd up for the Hand railings and Bannisters for James City Court-house viz.
	1 Piece 11 by 11 ½ Inches is	10 feet 2 Inches
	1 do 8 by 9 ½	6 - 5
	1 do 13 by 9	9 - 10
	1 do 13 by 9	9 - 10
		36 F 3 Inches
		at 4 d/2 pr foot
		13/6
		14.7
		£ 1. 8.1"

If the interior of the Courthouse of 1770 is to be reconstructed, colonial precedent as to interior furnishings will have to be followed. And information as to colonial precedent on this subject is very scarce indeed.¹

The most detailed description we have seen concerning the interior of a Virginia courthouse has been found in the records of Lancaster County, in the minutes of a "Court held for Lancaster County on Fryday the 8th day of August 1740". James Jones, for "forty nine thousand six hundred pounds of Tobacco together with 5 Pr Ct advance thereon to make the same convenient," agreed to undertake a brick courthouse and a brick prison for the county. The specifications for the courthouse follow:

"A BRICK COURT HOUSE

Thirty eight foot in Length and twenty five foot in bredth from out to out fourteen foot pitch within the house from floor to floor, one compas End The walls to be three bricks from the foundation to the surface of the Earth from thence to the 13a. Base two bricks & halfe from the Base to the Plate two bricks The bricks to be well burnt and laid with morter at least three fourths Lime Jams & returnes to be rubbed Brick Four sash windows in the body two at the ends of the house and two dorment windows in the Roof proportionable to the building the Windows to hoist with springs & pullys and to be glased with Crown Glass A folding door for entrance proportionable to the building with a substantiable Lock & hinges The floor to be flaged to the outer barr & planked within, the Justices bench to be neatly railed & ballastered and raised from the floor three foot and to be divided Wainscot fashion above & below into twelve seats besides the Chair A seat for the Jury under the Justices on the lower floor A Clark's Table & Chair also a Chair for the King's attorney A seat for the sherif and another for his deputy and two barrs at least benches to each of them and one Gate neatly railed A flat Ceiling and pair of Stairs to go into it handsomely made & neatly railed Floored with plank above stairs and a Table for the use of the Jurymen The house to be well lathed plaistered & whitewashed above & below The plaistering to be with very lime & hair [sic] The roof to be substantial sawed, stuf covered with Inch planck and good Dragon swamp shingles Eighteen Inches long and three quarters of an Inch thick clear of sap strongly framed with summers & Girders Principals &c All to be well tarred A neat Modillion Cornice all round the whole to be handsomely primed & painted The windows doors wainscot seats barrs &c to be neatly primed and painted within the building & without"¹

Specifications for a county courthouse for Norfolk County were recorded in Norfolk County Wills & Orders, 1723-1734¹ in the minutes of "a Court held the 19th day of August 1726," which may also be of interest here:

"The dementions of a Courthouse to be built for this County as followeth (Vizt)
To be thirty two inside long and Twenty foot wide inside and Arched to ye westermost End all walled of Brick and morter of good Lime 13 foot high under the plate 2 Bricks to ye water Table and a brick and half above, with a plank flower 2-½ foot high from ye ground and Seats for ye Justices and 2 barrs - In the Same manner as in the General Court house 4 Sash Windows 6 foot high and 3 wide 2 on ye North and two on ye South and Suitable Dorman windows Sashed on ye South side and one Ovel window In the Arch with a pair of Stairs for ye Justices Seats to be Covered with Plank and Shingled upon that and ye flower to be laid with Inch and half plank and ye said floore to be full Silled of white Oak laid 2 foot distance to be Shingled wth ------ and Cyprus Shingles --- ye floors to be nailed wth 20d Nailes ye glass to be Common Square glass ye Arch Over the Court to be Sealed with plank and that primed and painted of a lead Couler and also the Banisters and barrs windows fraimes Staires and doors and door Cases and ye Eves to be finished In the Same manner of Majr Newtons house is on ye front and to hang the bell/ a folding door 4 wide with 7 high and Case Steps and Stairs to go into the _______² and ye undertaker hereof to provide himself with all manner of Necessary and meterial for Ccmpleating the said Work and ye undertaker to Enter into bond with Security
And Mr Peter Malbone has agreed with the Court to build a house According to ye said Dementions for 35 M weight of Tobacco and 1-½ M to be levyed the next County levy And he to have ye o1d Courthouse after ye new one his [sin] finished on Motion of Coll Boush-
Its by the Court Requested that Capt Willis Wilson and Mr John C---- [?] agree with any good able undertaken to mend and Repair our part of ----[?] Bridge The Court adjourns till ye Court in Course Sa Boush."

The following details concerning the first Richmond County Courthouse, appeared in the Richmond County Court records of May 2, 1705:

"The Court takeing into Consideration the disorderly behaviour of the people Crowding upon the Lawyers att the barr when they are pleading their Clients Causes, have for Regulation thereof ordered that Thomas Bradley do fforthwith make a small Barr at the end of the Barr that is now wth Bannisters to Separate it from the Justices Bench and that he likewise sett up a Bench in it, and make a small table of the same dimensions of that in the Court house -two fourmes of Eight foot long and two Benches to be Sett up in the Jury Roome and that he Receive for the Same at the next Laying of the Levy the Summe of five hundred and fifty pounds of tobbo."¹

The second Richmond County Courthouse was built in 1748-49,² and the following court order of August 6, 1750, evidently had to do with this building:

"Order'd the Sherriff employ some person to rail in a yard [around the Courthouse] … And to sett up four Benches in each of the Piazzo's and one under each of the Windows in the body of the Courthouse of a Convenient hight and Breadth for people to set on…"³

There is some information concerning the interior fittings of the York County Courthouse at Yorktown (built 1731-1733), having to do with repairs made ca. 1787, after the building was damaged during the Revolutionary War. This courthouse was a T-shaped building like others¹ in Tidewater Virginia. Loose papers in the York County Records give details of repair work done, and mentioned paneled window shutters, 108 "sash lites," and thirty-six windows having "compass heads"; also dentil cornice, "A Circuling Seat for the Jury to Set on," a Balluster Rail in Circule," a "Righting Desk at the Bar 15 feet & half long," "Two boxes for the Sherifs to Sett in wainscoted with three Steps to Each," a lawyers' bench, and "the Chair wainscoted 7 feet High 4 feet wide two pilasters Dentle Cornish."² This York County Courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1814.

In serving the County of James City, the Williamsburg Courthouse of 1770 had to provide accommodations for the eight justices (any four of whom could form a quorum and hear and determine all causes before the court), for the clerk of court, the attorneys, the sheriffs and constables, the witnesses, the litigants or the accused, and others who might attend the monthly sessions. The county court met each month on a day stipulated by act of the General Assembly, and continued as long as was necessary to hear the causes before the court.³

In addition, the Courthouse of 1770 was the Husting Courthouse for the City of Williamsburg. As such it had to accommodate the mayor, recorder and six aldermen 15. (any four of whom could hold a Court of Hustings each month), and all those involved in suits and litigation that came within the jurisdiction of the City.¹

The Courthouse of 1770 also served as the meeting place of the Common Hall - the mayor, recorder, six aldermen, and twelve common councilmen, who appointed city officers, paid their salaries, and made the rules and regulations by which the City of Williamsburg was governed.²

Town meetings were also held at the Courthouse, the citizens gathering when events needed their especial attention. In 1772 the Common Hall took under consideration the "Expediency of opening a Communication between James and York Rivers, by a Canal to be dug from Archer's Hope Creek, which runs into James River, to Queen's Creek, running into York River," and citizens met at the Courthouse to subscribe to this project. In 1774 the citizens met at the Courthouse to elect Peyton Randolph as their representative in the House of Burgesses and also in the Virginia Convention of Delegates; as they did again in 1775. In 1774 and 1775 the citizens of Williamsburg, meeting at the Courthouse, subscribed to the relief of their "distressed Fellow Subjects at Boston, both in Cash and Provisions." In April, 1775, the Mayor, Recorder, Aldermen, and Common Councilmen - on hearing of Lord Dunmore's removal of the powder from the Magazine - gathered at the Courthouse to draw up a letter of protest to Dunmore, which they delivered to the Palace. In 16. July, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed at the Capitol, the Courthouse, and the Palace. The Courthouse Green was the scene of a Feu de joy in October, 1777, when the news of "General Burgoyne and his army being prisoners of war" reached Williamsburg.¹

In 1781 the "Town Courthouse" was "used as a Barrack," according to a letter written by Benjamin Waller to the Governor of Virginia concerning a meeting place for the Court of Admiralty.²

In 1832, after the remaining wing of the Capitol (which had been the meeting place of the Superior Court of Chancery) burned, Abel P. Upshur wrote the Governor of Virginia that the "Court House of James City County is at present the only suitable place" for the meetings of that court for the remainder of that session.³

In 1841 the Courthouse was the scene of a fair given by the ladies of Bruton Parish Church for the benefit of the church.⁴

During the War Between the States the Courthouse of 1770 was used first as a Barracks⁵ and then as a hospital.⁶

Mr. John S. Charles, writing of the damage done to buildings in Williamsburg during the War Between the States, said: 17.

"The old court house being also torn to pieces.. court, for some time after the War, was held in the basement of the Baptist church."¹

Another citizen of Williamsburg (the late Frank Armistead, judge for many years of the circuit court of Williamsburg and James City County) stated that the Hustings Court also met in the basement of the Baptist Church during the War; and, between 1865-1867, at the home of Mr. Walter C. P. Waller.²

The existing court records throw no light on the places in which the courts met during and immediately after the War Between the States. The earliest minute book now extant is a volume of Circuit Court Minutes, 1866-1882. The first minutes recorded do not mention the place of meeting, but carry the following heading: "Minutes of the Circuit Court for the City of Williamsburg and County of James City. May term, 1866." The first reference to the Courthouse appears in the heading for the May term the following year: "At a Circuit Court held for the City of Williamsburg and County of James City, at the Courthouse in said City on Saturday the 25th day of May 1867."³ Subsequent heading's through the volume mention the Courthouse - although no reference to the building appears in the text. It would appear that by May, 1867, the Courthouse of 1770 was again in use. The Opp. p. 18. H. PHOTOGRAPH - COURTHOUSE OF 1770 - Interior View. (Not dated - ca. 1875-1885.) From Coleman Collection of photographs in possession of Colonial Williamsburg, Incorporated. 18. building would undoubtedly have required extensive repairs after its use as barracks and hospital during the war. However, repairs are not mentioned in any of the surviving court records, and the clerk of court states that there are no "loose papers" extant covering this period.¹

A picture of a portion of the interior of the Courthouse of 1770, made sometime in the latter part of the nineteenth century, was found in the Coleman Collection of photographs.

In April, 1911, the Courthouse of 1770 was burned. The records, except for a few papers in one of the jury rooms, had been stored in a fire-proof "office" built several years before, and were saved. The rest of the interior of the building was "a total loss," according to a newspaper account, which erroneously stated that the building had been designed "by Sir Christopher Wren." After some discussion, it was decided that the courthouse would be "restored on its present foundation and with its present walls, if such a thing is possible," although there was a strong appeal in favor of a new and more commodious courthouse. The following newspaper accounts (April 6 and April 27, 1911) of the fire, and the decision to rebuild are of interest:

"ANCIENT BUILDING IN RUINS.
OLD COTJRTHOUSE GUTTED BY FIRE, BUT ALL VALUABLE
RECORDS ARE SAFE.
Clerk Geddy, by direction of Judge Tyler secured the Williamsburg hotel building for a temporary courthouse. Court convenes Monday
Williamsburg's historic courthouse, one of the show places of the town, and which has stood for a century and a half, is in ruins this morning, but 19. the records, save some old papers in one of the jury rooms, are secure in the fire-proof office built several years ago.
The fire was first discovered by a Mr. English, a student, who was crossing the Green, shortly after 1 o'clock. It was burning fiercely in the basement under the jury box in the northwest wing.
Chief Person was quickly on the scene with the chemical engine, and emptied its contents into the seething flames. It controlled the fire for a few minutes, but before the fire engine could be gotten out the fire had gained such headway as to render it impossible to quench them and save the building.
The fire was a spectacular one, the dry wood-work burning like tinder. Millions of sparks floated over the Colonial Inn and surrounding buildings, but it was raining, and there was no danger from this source of a spread of the fire to other buildings.
A steady stream was kept pouring on the fire-proof office in the east wing. It seemed to stand the terrible heat well, and there is not a crack in its walls this morning. The only thing saved from the building was a small typewriter. Everything outside of the fire-proof vault was a total loss.
The fire alarm being the courthouse bell, practically no alarm was sounded, and there were many people in town who knew nothing of the fire until this morning. Not more than a hundred saw the ruin of the cherished old structure.
The building, which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, the great English architect, was built in 1769. It belonged jointly to the city and county, and was valued at about $15,000. There was $5,000 insurance, carried by A. Brooks' agency in the Phoenix of London.
The origin of the fire is a mystery. Many are inclined to the incendiary idea; but what motive could anyone have for destroying this building? There had been no fire in the basement for a week. No one had been in the basement, near where the fire started, for many months.
No plans for rebuilding have been thought of yet. Some want to rebuild on the old site, others want a larger and more commodious structure, a replica of the old one, but built further back on the green. The ruins are being viewed by many people, and expressions of sorrow and regret are heard everywhere. Another landmark has gone!"¹

"TO RESTORE COURTHOUSE.
OLD BUILDING TO BE REBUILT.
The historic old courthouse will be restored on its present foundation and with its present walls, if such a thing is possible. That was settled by the unanimous vote of the City Council and Board of Supervisors at a joint meeting held here Monday morning.
…
Mr. Geddy made a statement regarding the destruction of the building on the morning of April 6th, and what steps he had taken in securing necessary furniture, &c., to enable him to take care of the public business until a new courthouse is provided. Mr. Geddy also said that the hotel building had been secured from its owner at a rental of $50 a month, which he referred to the meeting for their ratification, which was given later.
…
Mr. Spencer then offered the following resolutions which were finally adopted;
Resolved, That it is the sense of this body now in session to restore the old courthouse building as far as practicable to its former architecture, after consulting with a suitable architect or architects,
2. That the chairman of this meeting appoint a committee of three from the City Council and the like number of the Board of Supervisors, to be known as "Committee on Restoration and Repairs to the City and County Courthouse," with power to act, after receiving reports from said architects as referred to in resolution number one.
3. That the courthouse, as joint property owned by city of Williamsburg and county of James City, that the insurance money shall be used in restoring the said courthouse; and that, beginning July 1st, 1911, the expenses of the court shall be from that day borne one-half by city and one-half by county.
Mr. R. T. Armistead made a vigorous appeal to the meeting for a now and more commodious court-building. He suggested that the old building be given to the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities for then to restore and hold as a museum. He said that the present courthouse was too small for the public business, but that it should be restored as a landmark. He pointed out that the valuable old records of the High Court of Chancery had been lost, simply because there was no room in the fire proof vault for them. He advocated a building to cost about $12,000 to 21. be built back of the old building On Court Green, so that the county and city would have a structure adequate for all purposes. He thought it was our duty to improve on our public buildings and to leave to posterity something useful and convenient, which was not the case with the old building.
A committee of ladies, composed of Mrs. Lyon G. Tyler, Mrs. W. A. Montgomery, Mrs. L. W. Lane, Jr., and Misses Warburton and Coleman, was present from the Colonial Capital Branch of the A.P.V.A., and presented a petition signed by about 65 residents of Williamsburg, asking that the building be restored to its former style, and to be used as formerly. A letter from the Richmond chapter of the association, signed by Mrs. J. T. Ellyson, president, was also read, asking the authorities to restore the old structure.
Mr. B. D. Peachy, an attorney who has long practiced in the old courthouse, said the courtroom was ample for all purposes, and urged that the building be restored.
Mr. Wolfe thought that if the Antiquarian society would accept the old building and restore it, it would be well to make them a gift of it and to erect a new and modern courthouse building on the Court Green or on Palace Green. At this point Mrs. Tyler said the A.P.V.A. did not desire the ownership of the building, as it had all the museum needed here.
Architect J. W. Lee, of Norfolk, was present and was asked if he thought the old walls could be saved. It is his opinion that they can be saved by bracing with iron rods and anchors and that it could be made as safe and strong as ever. He thought it would cost from $5,000 to $6,000 to restore the building, but was not positive, as he had no figures or plans.
In accordance with the last resolution offered by W. Spencer, the chair appointed a committee to go ahead with the work of restoration. The committee has power to restore the building, without consulting the council and board of supervisors, but if it is found that the walls will have to come down, then another joint meeting must be held. The committee is composed of the following: From the board, William Lee, chairman, J. A. Barnes and Warren Marston; from the council, Capt. L. W. Lane, J. W. Jones and R. L. Spencer."¹ [The Virginia Gazette, May 11, 1911 - article indicating opposition to restoration - larger building asked. The Virginia Gazette, May 25, 1911 - people to decide by petition.]

I. PHOTOGRAPH - COURTHOUSE OF 1770. Photograph made in 1931, just before restoration of exterior building.

"RESTORATION WINS OUT. COMMITTEE WILL REBUILD.
…
For restoration ………….298
For a new building…………27
For restoration and addition..10
Secretary advised to advertise for bids."¹

"CONTRACT AWARDED. RESTORATION TO BE RUSHED.
The Building Committee for the restoration of the old courthouse met here Monday morning… The following were the bidders and the amount of their bids:
C. T. Holtzslaw, of Hampton, for building complete, including fire-proof vault, $6,732.00.
R. H. Richardson & Son, Hampton, for building complete, including fire-proof vault, $5,452.00.
M. W. Gayle, of Newport News for building, not including fire-proof vault, $4,950.00.
The contract was awarded to R. H. Richardson & Son and the work is to be completed October 1…."²

Columns, which were not on the building in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, were placed under its portico for support.

In December, 1931, the City of Williamsburg and County of James City conveyed the Courthouse Green and the Courthouse of 1770 to Colonial Williamsburg. A new courthouse was erected near the corner of Francis and England Streets for the county and city.

The Courthouse of 1770 was restored - insofar as its exterior was concerned - to its eighteenth century appearance. Archaeological and architectural studies of the building were made in 1932.³ The columns, added in 1911, were removed. In April, 1933, "The Court House of 1770, newly restored and containing a Display of excavated Material recovered 23. in the Course of archaeological Investigation in Williamsburg, was opened to the Public."¹ The building still contains the archaeological display; but plans are now being made to move this material to another location, and restore and refurnish the interior as a courthouse.

Illustrations of courtroom interiors follow.

The only description we have found concerning Virginia justices' dress in the eighteenth century appears in the Marquis de Chastellux's account of his travels in Virginia in 1782, when he was at Cumberland Courthouse, Virginia:

"It was on the 23d, but the heat was already very troublesome… I had the curiosity to go to the court-house, to see how this affair was transacted, and saw it was performed with great order and simplicity. The Judges wore their common clothes, but were seated on an elevated tribunal, as "at London in the Court of King's Bench or Common Pleas . …"²

It is probable that the justices in the higher courts followed the English custom³ of wearing robes, as they do in many higher courts in this country today. Whether the custom was followed in the county courts in colonial days we cannot now say. This point will require further research.

[PHOTOGRAPH]

ANOTHER EIGHTEENTH CENTURY COURTHOUSE WHICH DEMONSTRATES UNMISTAKABLY THE INFLUENCE OF THE CAPITOL ON THE SUBSEQUENT DESIGN OF STRUCTURES DEVOTED TO GOVERNMENTAL USES IS THE CHOWAN COUNTY COURTHOUSE IN EDENTON, NORTH CAROLINA. THE PHOTOGRAPH (FROM THE H.A.B.S. COLLECTION) IS AN INTERIOR VIEW OF THE APSIDAL TERMINATION OF TEH COURT ROOM SHOWN IN THE PLAN BELOW. THE LATTER WAS TAKEN FROM THE EARLY ARCHITECTURE OF NORTH CAROLINA BY FRANCES B. JOHNSTON AND THOMAS T. WATERMAN, CHAPEL HILL, 1941.

WE CAN DO NO BETTER, PROBABLY, THAN QUOTE WATERMAN ON THE SUBJECT OF THIS COURTHOUSE AND ITS DESIGN DERIVATION SINCE, HAVING WORKED ON THE PLANS FOR TEH RECONSTRUCTION OF THE CAPITOL, HE WAS INTIMATELY ACQUAINTED WITH THE LATTER. [illegible] COURTHOUSE HE SAYS: "IT WAS BUILT IN 1767, AND IS ATTRIBUTED TO GILBERT LEIGH, A RESIDENT OF EDENTON, SAID TO HAVE COME FROM WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA. THE GENERAL PLAN, WITH CENTRAL COURT ROOM AND FLANKING OFFICES, IS TYPICAL OF TIDEWATER VIRGINIA. AN EXACT PARALLEL IN PLAN…IS THE FORMER ISLE OF WIGHT COURTHOUSE AT SMITHFIELD, VIRGINIA. … THE ORIGIN OF BOTH BUILDINGS CAN CERTAINLY BE FOUND IN THE CAPITOL AT WILLIAMSBURG, WITH ITS APSIDAL GENERAL COURT ROOM AND HOSUE OF BURGESSES. EVEN THE JUDGE'S CHAIR AND PANELED WAINSCOT AT EDENTON AND PARALLEL TO THESE FEATURES OF THE WILLIAMSBURG CAPITOL. … THIS WOULD MEAN THAT LEIGH KNEW THE CAPITOL BEFORE THE FIRE OF 1747, AS ALL [illegible] DETAIL PERISHED THEN." (From the Architectural Report on the Capitol, by H. Dearstyne, MG]

COURTHOUSE FOR YORK COUNTY 1733 - 1814

p. 402:
"…Whatever the reason, the county court on December 21, 1730, appointed certain of its members to 'receive Proposals from proper workmen to undertake the erecting of a new Courthouse…'

…
The contractor, Robert Ballard, completed the building a short time before July 16, 1733. On that date, the court ordered the members of the building committee to examine the new courthouse and determine if the contractor had fulfilled the articles of agreement…

…
The cost of the new courthouse was defrayed by a series of annual levies beginning in 1728,and continuing through 1732.²² The total sum collected amounted to 122,657 ½ pounds of tobacco. This amount of tobacco, even at the low prices prevailing at that time, must have brought a very sizeable sum when sold by the sheriff. A building to cost that much must have been imposing. A British visitor to the town in 1736 seems to have been impressed by it, for he said that 'The Courthouse is the only considerable publick Building, and is no unhandsome structures.'²³ That a building in the colonies could have been considered worthy of mention by an Englishman is indicative of some elegance.

One feature, a floor of imported stones, was added after the completion of the building. This must have enhanced the elegance of the courthouse. Presumably the floor was at first constructed of wood, which apparently rotted within six years. On July 18, 1739 the court ordered Thomas and William Nelson, the leading merchants of Yorktown, to 'send to England for Stone to lay the floor of the Court House and of the two offices and for one Yard and one Ell according to the Standard of England. …'²⁴ Upon delivery of the stone, the county paid the Nelsons the sum of £ 40 sterling. That the county would go to the trouble and expense of importing stone from England for the floor was evidence of the great pride with which the local authorities regarded the courthouse.

The sturdy construction of the courthouse is proven by the lack of any major repairs having been made to it until after the Revolution. In 1746 and again in 1776 minor repairs, such as the 'mending of broken windows, were made, but these were the only mention of repairs to the structure prior to the Siege of Yorktown in 1781.²⁵

During the eighty-one years of existence of this courthouse (1733-1814), there were only brief periods during which it did not serve in its intended, capacity. Two of the great scourges of mankind, war and pestilence, forced the court to convene elsewhere on several occasions. Although there is evidence that smallpox forced the court to be held outside the town on a previous occasion,²⁶ the inhabitants of the county thought it necessary to petition the General Assembly during the epidemic of 1758-59 to permit them to move the court. They probably deemed it necessary as the act of 1696 had established the town, as the only place for the convening of the county court. The General Assembly, therefore, was required to pass another act repealing this provision before the court could be legally moved. Upon due consideration of the petition before the Assembly repealed the act of 1696, and the inhabitants of York county could again hold court without fear of becoming infected with the dreaded small pox.²⁷

The Revolutionary War did not require the evacuation of the courthouse by the court until the town had been actually occupied by the British forces under Lord Cornwallis in the summer of 1781. After a long period of care and protection by the county authorities, the courthouse was grossly maltreated by the British forces. To what use the building was put by the troops of Lord Cornwallis has not been ascertained, but inasmuch as they pulled down the American hospital to clear the way for their fortifications, it is possible that the courthouse was appropriated for hospital service. Whatever the use, the interior of the building and the windows were destroyed by the British. The extent of the damages was estimated by the county at £ 100.²⁸ As the courthouse stood in an area in the town to which the shellfire of the allied batteries did little damage, the injuries to the building must be attributed to the British.

The capitulation of the British army did not end the indignities which the building had to endure. When the French troops entered into winter quarters in the town after the siege, the courthouse served as a hospital for their sick and wounded. Although apparently no extensive damage was done the building during this time, it was impossible to use it as a court. In January, 1782, the magistrates of the county attempted to hold court there, but 'the variety of disorders therein, and the disagreeable small of the House deter'd the Gentlemen from going in…'²⁹

The General Assembly could not act to relieve this situation until its May, 1782 session. It acted at that time, however, by passing a law empowering the justices of the county court to meet at any other place in the county that they considered proper, as long as the courthouse was occupied by the French.³⁰ The slowness of the assembly could be excused, but the court did not act in accordance with this measure until October 21, 1782, several months after the departure of the French. On that date the justices adjourned from the courthouse 'to the House of Mrs. Gibbons,' a leading ordinary of the town on the adjoining lot (lot 30).³¹

After the departure of the French army, the county court on; July 15, 1782 ordered William Goosley, William Reynolds and William Cary to engage workmen to repair the courthouse and the jail.³² Either the lack of funds or the slackening of interest prevented the work from being carried to completion for some time, as another committee was appointed by the court on April 16, 1787 'to treat with any Person or Persons to compleat the repairs of the Court house and prison…'³³

Itemized accounts of the work done by various workmen on the courthouse reveal the extensive nature of the damage which had been done, as well as provide information about the appearance of the colonial building. A total of 108 'sash lites' were made, which proved the veracity of the justices in claiming the total destruction of the windows in the courthouse. Thirty-six of these windows were listed as having 'compass heads.' Other architectural information concerning its construction and furnishing can be gleaned form reference to paneled window shutters, dentil cornice, 'A circuling Seat for the Jury to Set on,' a 'Balluster Rail in Circule,' A 'Righting Desk at the Bar 15 feet & half Long,' 'Two boxes for the Sherifs to Sett in wainscoted with three steps to Each,' a lawyers' bench, and 'the Chair wainscoted 7 feet High 4 feet wide two pilasters Dentle Cornish.' A xxvi total of 22,000 shingles was needed to cover the building.³⁴ While it is possible that certain articles of furniture were not exact duplicates of those destroyed in 1781, it is also possible that they were copied so as to return the building to its former elegance. There is no evidence to lead to a belief that the building was changed in any way during this work.

These repairs were completed by the end of the eighteenth century, and the courthouse resumed its normal functions. The only other change made in the building occurred in 1806, when the court ordered the 'Piazza' of the courthouse 'enclosed.'³⁵ After this renovation, the courthouse stood in the town until the disastrous conflagration of March, 1814 destroyed it beyond hope of repair. The following newspaper account of the fire described its destructive power:

York, March 4
Yesterday about 3 p.m. Mrs. Gibbon's house in this place took fire, and together with the county Court-house, the Church, the spacious dwelling of the late President Nelson, and the whole of the town below the hill, except Charlton's and Grant's houses, were consumed…³⁶

INDEX

Attorneys,

13a, 13c, 14, xxv.

See also

Lawyers.

Baluster rails,

13-a, 14, xxv.

See also Bars;

Railings.

Banisters,

13, 13b.

Bars,

13a, 13b, 13c.

Bells,

13b, 19, xix.

Benches,

13a, 13c, 14, xxv.

for justices,

13a, 13c.

for lawyers,

14, xxv.

under windows,

13C.

See also

Chairs; Seats.

Boxes,

14, 19, xxv.

for juries,

19.

for sheriffs,

14, xxv.

Bruton Parish Church,

9-10 & n. 11, 12, 16, xxi.

Capitol,

1-n, 10 & n, 11, 16, xviii, xix-xx, xxi.

Chairs,

13a, 14, xxv.

for clerk of court,

13a.

for king's attorney,

13a.

for presiding justice,

13a, 14, xxv.

See also

Benches; Seats.

Chancery Court,

16, xxi.

Charles, John S., quoted,

9 & n, 17.

Chowan County Courthouse (N.C.), illus. I

(following p.23).

Clerks of Common Hall,

xxi.

Clerks of Court,

13a, 14, vi, xxv.

chairs for,

13a.

tables for,

13a.

Clerks' Office,

9.

Clocks,

9-10 & n.

Common Council,

1 & n, 2, 4, 5, 6, xv.

See also

Common Hall.

Common Hall,

2, 3, 15, xv, xvi, xx, xxi.

barkeeper of,

xxi.

clerk of,

xxi.

Duties of,

15, xv.

fees paid by,

xxi.

meetings of,

xv, xvi, xx, xxi.

members of,

15, xv.

sergeant for,

xxi.

Constables,

14, iv.

County Courts,

14, i-ix.

court days for,

14, i, iii, vii.

jurisdiction of,

i, ii, iii, iv-v, vii-viii.

members of,

i, iii, iv-vii.

See also

James City County Court; Justices.

Court of Admiralty,

xix-xx.

Court of Chancery,

xxi.

Court of Hustings,

see

Hustings Court.

xxviii

Courthouse of 1770:

act of Assembly concerning,

4.

advertisement concerning erection of,

3.

archaeological display in (1933 &C),

22-23.

banisters for,

13.

barracks in,

(1781)

16, xx;

(1862)

16, 18, xxii.

basement of,

19.

bell on,

19.

building of (1770),

1-8.

burning of (1911),

18-22.

chancery court in, (1832),

16, xxi.

chimney of altered,

8.

church fair in,

16, xxi.

clerk's office in,

9.

clock for,

9 & n - 10 & n.

columns, planned for,

10-11.

added (1911),

9, 22.

Common Hall meets in,

15, xv, xvi, xx, xxi.

See also

Common Hall.

completion of building,

6-7.

court room of,

8.

descriptions of,

(1783)

11;

(1795),

12;

(1796)

10;

(1861)

9 & n, 17.

expense of building mentioned,

4, 5.

furnishings of,

2, 13.

See also Courthouses,

Virginia.

grates in,

8.

handrails for,

13.

hospital in,

16, 18, xxii.

Hustings Court in,

14-15.

jurisdiction of,

x-xiv.

See also

Hustings Court.

illustrations of exterior,

A-G front of report; I following p.21.

of interior,

H Opp. page 18.

ironwork for,

8.

jail for,

ix.

James City County Court meets in,

3, 4, 15.

jurisdiction of

i-ix.

See also

County Courts.

jury box in,

19.

Jury rooms in,

8, 9, 18, 19.

land for,

3-6.

pediment of,

10.

plan for mentioned,

3 & n.

plastering in,

8.

records concerning mentioned,

2.

records in saved (1911),

18, 19.

repairs to,

8, 12-13,

after fire (1911),

20-21.

restoration of (1931-32),

22, 23.

rooms in,

8, 9, 18, 19.

steps for,

7-8, 9 & n.

stove for,

12.

town meetings in,

15, xvi-xix.

xxix

uses of,

14, 18, xvi-xxii.

during Civil war,

16-18, xxii.

whitewashing in,

8.

windows repaired,

12.

Courthouses, English, interiors of

See illustration III-IX

following page 23.

Courthouses, North Carolina

See illustration I-A

following page 23.

Courthouses, Pennsylvania

See illustration II

following page 23.

Courthouses, Virginia:

attorney's chair in,

13a.

balluster rails in,

13a, 14, xxv.

banisters of,

13, 13b, 13c.

bars in,

13a, 13b, 13c, 14, xxv.

bells of,

13b, 19.

benches in,

13a, 13c, 14, xxv.

See also

chairs in;

seats in.

for justices,

13a, 13c.

for lawyers,

14, xxv.

under windows,

13c.

boxes in,

14, 19, xxv.

for juries,

19.

for sheriffs,

14, xxv.

brickwork of,

13, 13a, 13b.

building materials for,

12, 13, 13a, 13b, 13c.

ceilings of,

13a, 13b.

arched,

13b.

chairs in,

13a, 14, xxv.

See also

benches in;

seats in.

clerk's table in,

13a.

cornices of,

13a, 14, xxv.

crown glass for,

13a.

desks in,

14, xxv.

dimensions of,

13, 13a, 13b.

doors in,

13a, 13b.

folding,

13a.

floors of,

13a, 13b, xxiii.

stone,

13a, xxiii.

furnishings of,

13a, 13b, 13c, 14, xxv.

See also

illustrations of interiors I-VIII,

following page 23;

and plans

following page ix.

gates in,

13a.

grates in,

8.

jails for,

viii-ix.

jury rooms in,

8, 9, 18, 19, 13c.

benches for,

13c.

jury seats in,

13a.

jury tables in,

13a.

justices benches, seats & chairs in,

13a, 13b, 13c, 14, xxv.

for presiding justice,

13a, 14, xxv.

lawyers' benches in,

13c, 14, xxv.

painting in,

13a, 13b

piazzas of,

13c, xxvi.

plans for (ca. 1807)

see illustrations IX-XII

following page ix.

xxx

plastering in,

8, 13a.

railings in,

13, 13a.

See also

Balusters; Banisters; Bars.

roofs of,

13a.

tarred,

13a.

See also

Shingles.

seats in,

for juries,

13a, 13b, 13c, 14, xxv.

for justices,

13a, 13b, 13c, 14, xxv.

See also

Benches; Chairs.

sheriffs' boxes in,

14, xxv.

sheriffs' seats in,

13a.

shingles for,

12, 13a, 13b, xxv.

shutters of,

14, xxv.

specifications for,

13, 13a, 13b, 13c.

stairs in,

13a, 13b.

steps for,

7-9, 9 & n.

tables in,

13a, 13c.

clerk's,

13a.

for jury,

13a.

wainscoting in,

13a, 14, xxv.

whitewashing of,

8, 13a.

windows of,

12, 13a, 13b, 14, xxiv, xxv.

compass,

14, xxv.

dormer,

13a, 13b.

oval,

13b.

sash,

13b.

yards of fenced,

13c.

Courtrooms, illustrations of:

See illus. H

op. page 18;

illus. I-IX

following p. 23.

Crown glass,

13a.

District courthouse,

xxii.

See also illus. G

in front of report.

Edenton, N.C., courthouse at

See illus. I

following p. 23.

English courtrooms,

23.

See illus. III-VIII

following p. 23.

Federal Court, Richmond, Va. (Latrobe) illus. I

following p. 23.

Flagstone,

13a.

Furnishings for courthouses,

13, 13a, 13b, 13c, 14, xxv.

See also illus. H

following p. 18;

illus. I-VIII

following p. 23.

General Court,

1-n, ii, iii, v.

General Courtroom (Capitol),

13b.

Glass window,

12, 13a, 13b, 14, xxv.

Harwood, Humphrey, accounts of,

8, 12.

Hustings Court,

14-15, 17.

duties & jurisdiction of,

x-xiv.

meeting place of,

1-2 & n, 3, 7, 17.

members of,

x-xi.

Jails, county,

iv, viii, ix.

James City County,

3-6, 5-n.

bounds of,

5-n.

land annexed to,

3-6.

James City County Court

court days of,

14, vii.

jurisdiction of

See County Courts,

i-ix.

justices of,

14, i, iii, iv.

records of,

2 & n, 17.

See also

Courthouse of 1770; James City County Courthouse.

xxxi

James City County Courthouse:

(1715-1770)

1 & n, 2 & n, 6-7, viii.

(1770-1930)

see

Courthouse of 1770.

Judges

see Justices.

Juries,

8, 9, 13a, 13c, 14, 18, 19, ii, iv, v, vi, xxv.

seats for,

13a, 13c, 19.

tables for,

13a.

Jury rooms,

8, 9, 18, 19, 13c.

Justices,

13a, 13b, 14, 23, i, iii, iv, v, vi, vii, xxv.

appointment of,

i, iii, iv.

bench for,

13a, 13c.

See also

seats for

chair for presiding justice,

13a, 14, xxv.

dress of,

23.

number of,

14, i, iii, vii.

seats for,

13b.

Lancaster County Courthouse, specifications for,

13-13a.

Latrobe, Benjamin, quoted,

10-11.

Lunatic hospital,

12.

Magazine,

11, 12, xx.

Norfolk County Courthouse, specifications for,

13b.

Palace,

11, xviii.

Pillories,

viii, ix.

Plans, for Courthouse of 1770, ment.,

3 & n.

of Virginia Courthouses,

3-n,

and illus. IX-XII

following p. ix.

Playhouse, hustings court in,

1 & n, 7, viii.

Railings,

13a, 14, xxv.

See also

Balusters; Banisters; Bars.

Raleigh Tavern,

3, xxi.

Richmond County Courthouse,

13c.

Schoepf, Johann David,

11.

Seats, for Juries,

13a, 14, xxv.

for Justices,

13a, 13b, 13c.

See also

Benches; Chairs.

for Sheriffs,

13a, 14, xxv.

Sheriffs,

13a, 14, ii, iii, iv, v.

boxes for,

14, xxv.

seats for,

13a.

Smith, Robert, mentioned,

3-n.

Stairs,

13a, 13b.

Steps, stone,

7-8, 9 & n.

Stocks,

viii, ix.

Stone floors,

xxii.

See also,

Flagstone.

Stone steps,

7-8, 9 & n.

Stoves,

12.

xxxii

Tables,

13a, 13c.

for clerks,

13a.

for jurymen,

13a.

Town meetings at Courthouse of 1770,

15, xvi, xvii, xviii.

Virginia courthouses

See

Courthouse of 1770; Courthouses, Virginia.

Wainscoting,

13a, 14, xxv.

Whipping posts,

viii, ix.

William & Mary College mentioned,

xx, xxi, xxii.

Williamsburg:

courthouses in

see

Courthouse of 1770; Hustings Courthouse; James City County Courthouse, etc.

See also

Court of Admiralty; District Court.

incorporation of

1-n.

Window glass,

12, 13a, 13b, 14, xxv.

Windows

see

Courthouses, Virginia

Wren, Sir Christopher, mentioned,

18, 19.

York County, Va.,

3-6, 14, xxiii-xxvi.

bounds of,

5-n.

land annexed from,

3-6.

York County Courthouse,

14, xxiii-xxvi.

York, Pennsylvania, courthouse in, illus. II

following p.23.

SKETCH MADE IN THE FEDERAL COURT, RICHMOND

COURTHOUSE IN YORK, PENNSYLVANIA.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH, WESTMINSTER HALL, LONDON.

COURT OF EXCHECQUER.

COURT OF CHANCERY.

OLD BAILEY.

GUILDHALL.

CROWN COURT, HARTFORD, ENGLAND.