Court records from 17th-century Kent County, Maryland, arranged by theme.

Transcribed and compiled by Dr. Alexa Cawley, Ph.D.

Index | Search | Servant Complaints - Sorted by last name of servant

Servant Name	Calloway	Nicholas	Master Name	Broadnox	Thomas	Court Date	10/1/1656
Details 1	"That sd Calloway Conditioned to serue him the last year; but failinge of the pformance of his Condition, The sd Broadnox Enters his Action, for a yeares seruice to bee made food the next yeare The deffendant bringe twoe Oathes for his deffence"					Type of Charge	owes service
Details 2	Hinson said he was at Broadnox's house last january and was asked to write condition between Calloway and Broadnox "And at writtinge thereof yor depon did Arreast the sd Callwoay at the suit of Jn Deare for the pformance of a bargaine of seruice
Details 3	which hee had made wth him before & the sd Anthony beeinge Cald to put his hand to the Condition, made betwict Mr Broadnox & himselfe formerly mentioned; after he wa Areasted, the sd Anthony dessired hee might speacke wth Hn Deare first; mr Boradnox
Details 4	repled again tht he might pur his hand it it without any Question, for if Deare haue you by Order of Court then I Cannot haue you"; Carline testified that when Anthony was called in to sign his service with Broadnox, " hee made great scrupe of it, &
Details 5	Refused to die it till he had seene what end hee should macke wth Jn Deare & Mr Brodnox Replied, that shall macke difference for if Jn Deare haue yu, I cannot haue yu", didn't know if Calloway signed; Cour orders Calloway to service broadnox for 1 year,					Source	LIV 73, 76

Servant Name	Crosse	William	Master Name	Harris	George	Court Date	8/23/1670
Details 1	Cross represented by his attorney Michell Miller; plaintiff asks for a jury because the defendant pleads for a year's service more upon the indentures; Named to jury: Tobyas Wells, Francis Pyne, Robert Palmer, Thomas Hinson, Johnathan Hopkins, Edward					Type of Charge	length of service
Details 2	Winckles, John Browne, Arthur Wright, Petter Johnson, Thomas Heath, Isaac Winchester, Alexander Walters; jury charges to find whether the indenture is for four or five years and if for four whether ten pounds sterling in goods
Details 3	Verdict: Wee of the Jury that the Indenture was made but for Fower yeares, And that being truly Serued the tenn pound, wth what wlse is in his Indenture is due to him; Court orders defendant to pay servant 10 pounds sterling with costs of suit, defendant
Details 4	asks for appeal to Provincial Court
Details 5						Source	LIV 293-4

Servant Name	Gould	Anne	Master Name	Owines	(of Severn?)	Court Date	8/1/1656
Details 1	"That the night tht mr owines boate went adrifte hee came home allone and sen his ouerseere to loocke after the boat, soe tht theare was non left in the house but mr Owines & yr depondent, & presently after the Ouerseer was gone hee pincht & abused her &					Type of Charge	rape
Details 2	threw her upon a bed, hee allsoe forst yor depondendt & had the usse of her bodie, which was much to yor depondent griefem beeinge the Costome of weomen was upon her,ussinge often theise Expressiones, what am I the better for thee, what the plauge does I
Details 3	keepe thee for, & the licke & farther yor depondent affirmes tht this dissease tht is upon her shee had it from mr Owines & tht till the tyme shee receivd this Abusses shee was as well as euer in her liffe, which abuse was after hee Received the food for
Details 4	her of mr Weickes; and further saith not" was she formerly Mr. Wickes servant?
Details 5						Source	LIV 69

Servant Name	Guinn	Thomas	Master Name	Head	William	Court Date	9/27/1670
Details 1	Head brings servant to court for absenting himself from service several times for 34 days, servant being examined said he "did declare he had no Cause, but that he had ouer saked his Corne to beat: & that he had rec noe other abuse"					Type of Charge	fugitive servant
Details 2	Court orders him to serve 340 days according to Act of Assembly and to have 10 lases on his bare back for stealing people's canoes from their landings
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Details 5						Source	LIV 297

Servant Name	Lutt?	Alse	Master Name	Ward	Thomas	Court Date	8/1652 referred to next Court?, appears 2/1657?
Details 1	Ward arrest for suspicion of felony, case referred to next Court; one deposition stated the servant ran away on on returning "Mistress Ward did whip her with a peach tree rod & after she was done, she took water and salt, and salted her, and when she was					Type of Charge	unlawful correction and running away
Details 2	adoing the same the maid cried out, and desired her Mistress to use her like a Christian, and she replied and said: 'Oh, ye ____ you.' 'Do you liken yourself like a Christian?' And also after that time, 'She ran away several times'; Jury found that they
Details 3	were not the cause of her death "but that it was 'unreasonable considering the weak estate of body;'", Court imposed a find of 300 lbs (very low) for "unreasonable and unchristianlike punishment"; Fine debate detailed in 1657 (LIV125-26)
Details 4
Details 5						Source	LIV 9-10; Liber A Folio 54

Servant Name	Mannering	Margreet	Master Name	Bradnox and South	Thomas'	Court Date	11/18/1657
Details 1	Bradnox sues Mannering for slander while she is servant of South's; she claims he raped her while she was his servant; Mannering admits that her words were untrue and is ordered to receive ten lashes for slandering Bradnox					Type of Charge	slander and rape
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Details 5						Source	LIV 122

Servant Name	Mouse		Master Name	Reade	Matthew	Court Date	2/16/1659
Details 1	"for beinge a Constant Runnaway From his Maisters Seruice... the Saruant haueing nothinge to say in his owne defence"					Type of Charge	runaway
Details 2	The Court hath orderd tht the sd Mouse hsall haue 25 Sound Lashes & if hereafter the sd Saruart shall runn awau aains, The Court foth orer tht any of the Inhabitants tht shall dinde him shall whipp him home againe to his Mr & not giue him any
Details 3	Entertainment and his Maistr to giue thm satisfaction for their paines
Details 4
Details 5						Source	LIV 184

Servant Name	Sembreck	Frances	Master Name	Meconicon	John	Court Date
Details 1	demanded her freedom, showed that she had served according to Act of Assembly; Court ordered her to be freed and paid one barrell of good Indian corn according to custom of the country					Type of Charge	hold beyond time
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Details 5						Source	LIV 239

Servant Name	Shembrooke	Frances	Master Name	Bishop and Palmer	Wm. And Robert	Court Date	7/16/1670
Details 1	Shembrooke brought to court for bastard child, ordered to have 20 lashes but punishment appealed and remitted; she then charged her masters with abuse which was proved and they were ordered to pay costs of suit and 100 lbs to her for her maintenance until					Type of Charge	abuse and bastardy
Details 2	she could work; fellow servant James Phillips proven to be father of her child during travail; ordered to give security to pay half maintenance of child once he is free; masters ordered to put in security so child would not become a burden to county
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Details 5						Source	LIV 291-292

Servant Name	Smith	Mathias	Master Name	Hull	Edard	Court Date	6/30/1668
Details 1	"upon a compaint made by Edward Hull . . . Two depositions being taken in part of Edward Hull the Court fininding his Complaint Just doth order the said Seruant to haue Twenty lashes upon the Bare Back well laid on. . .					Type of Charge	??
Details 2	"and upon Composition made the said Hull is to Sett his Seruant free in Consideration of his Curing of his leff and to pay him his Corne and Clothes"
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Details 5						Source	LIV 248

Servant Name	Stedhed	Mary	Master Name	Eerckson	John	Court Date	6/7/1662
Details 1	complains she is pregnant by Mathew Reed, jury of women find no sign of it but Court orders payment of 5000 lbs of tobacco by Reed for security for the child					Type of Charge	pregnancy
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Details 5						Source	LIV 233

Servant Name	Sutheren	Thomas	Master Name	Bradnox	Thomas	Court Date	12/20/1660
Details 1	Judith hemsley (27) said he came on a ship w/her 7 years earlier, indenture made between him & Mr. George Johnson for 7 years; Johnson sold him to Waddaloe on York River for 7 years; made deal to serve one extra year to learn trade of cooper; Macume					Type of Charge	failure to free
Details 2	Meconny (23) said he was to serve Waddaloe 8 years and to learn trade of cooper; Nicklus Brodway (30) said he carried him to John Salter & he had 3 crops to serve if his master would teach him to be cooper; John White (22) reports 3 crops; Wm. Hemsley
Details 3	(26):when carring his to Bradnox's house, Mrs. Bradnox asked him whether he said he had 3 crops to serve and he said yes, Mrs. Bradnox answered "that throu a young knaue and and ould knaue thay ware deceued of thayre write"
Details 4	Sutherin wants to be freed with corn, clothes and damages for being kept beyond his time, Bradnox denies his claim and wants to make further proof; Court tells him he has to put in double damages to answer at the next Provincial Court, Sutheren to have
Details 5	liberty but with 1500 lbs tobacco security to appear at the Provincial Court; Provincial Court frees him with corn and dues Prov Ct XLI 435-6					Source	LIV 191-2

Servant Name	Wickes	Bereson?	Master Name	Hill	Thomas	Court Date	8/1/1657
Details 1	Ann and Thomas Hinson witness deal between Wickes and Thomas Hill Sr. for apprenticeship of Wickes son in exchange for a heifer; it appears that Hill then gave the boy to the Hinson's? "Mr Wickes Came unto yor depts house And sd That he was Com to fetch					Type of Charge	apprenticeship not served?
Details 2	Away his Boy bereson That she had nobody to beat for her: And yor dept replied that she thought it was nothing but his covetousness that would not pay for his diet: And soe by That Meenes The Boy should loose his larning: And the sd Mr Wickes Replyed That
Details 3	his Mayd should Tech him A lettell whiel and Then it may be he would bring him Downe Agayne" debate over paying for the whole time for the boy, Hill badmouthed Wickes to his dying day over this issue, whatever it is exactly I'm not sure
Details 4	Look for more dealings between Wickes and Hill
Details 5						Source	LIV 110-111