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46-456: General Clinton issued the following proclamation: Whereas the enemy have adopted a practice of enrolling NEGROES among their Troops, I do hereby give notice That all NEGROES taken in arms, or upon any military Duty, shall be purchased for the public service at a stated Price; the money to be paid to the Captors. But I do most strictly forbid any Person to sell or claim Right over any NEGROE,

92-486: A Body of armed Men unlawfully assembled, bring on His / M AJESTY'S Tenders, and the formation of an Army, and that Army now on / their March to attack His M AJESTY'S troops and destroy the well disposed Sub- / jects of this Colony. To defeat such unreasonable Purposes, and that all such / Traitors, and their Abetters, may be brought to Justice, and that the Peace, and / good Order of this Colony may be again restored, which

138-515: A British Tory politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Virginia from 1768 to 1770, when he died in office . Norborne Berkeley was born about 1717, the only son of John Symes Berkeley of Stoke Gifford , Gloucestershire by his second wife Elizabeth Norborne, a daughter and co-heiress of Walter Norborne of Calne, Wiltshire and the widow of Edward Devereux, 8th Viscount Hereford. The Berkeleys of Stoke Gifford were descended from Maurice de Berkeley (d.1347), who died at

184-593: A brief period during the Civil War when it was moved to the Public Asylum for safety, it stood in the College Yard until 1958 when it was removed for protection from the elements, and then in 1966 was installed in the new Earl Gregg Swem Library , in the new Botetourt Gallery. In 1993, as the college celebrated its tercentenary , a new bronze statue of Botetourt by William and Mary alumnus Gordon Kray

230-441: A furor among Virginia's slave-owning elites (again of both political persuasions), to whom the possibility of a slave rebellion was a major fear. The proclamation ultimately failed in meeting Dunmore's objectives; he was forced out of the colony in 1776, taking about 300 former slaves with him. The 1779 Philipsburg Proclamation applied to all the colonies. During the course of the war, between 80,000 and 100,000 slaves escaped from

276-538: A revolt to have several effects. Primarily, it would bolster his own forces, which, cut off from reinforcements from British-held Boston , numbered only around 300. Secondarily, he hoped that such an action would create a fear among the colonists of a general slave uprising and would force them to abandon the revolution. The Virginia Convention was outraged and responded on December 14, 1775, with an unambiguous declaration that all fugitive slaves would be executed: WHEREAS Lord Dunmore, by his proclamation, dated on board

322-454: A significantly larger number of runaways. It is estimated that up to 100,000 attempted to leave their owners and join the British over the course of the entire war. At the end of the war, the British relocated about 3,000 former slaves to Nova Scotia . Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt ( c.  1717 – 15 October 1770) was

368-520: A tree for the new mast. However, his slaves spotted multiple men from the Patriot army approaching the hunting lodge and warned Dunmore. He then escaped a few minutes ahead of the oncoming rebel troops, but the men working on the mast were unable to escape. These slaves completely changed the course of the war in Virginia. By not getting captured, Dunmore would now be able to continue his campaign against

414-788: The Appalachian Mountains , despite the British Royal Proclamation of 1763 . He notably defeated the Shawnee nation in Dunmore's War , gaining land south of the Ohio River . As a widespread dislike for the British crown (as a result of the American Revolution ) became apparent, however, Dunmore changed his attitude towards the colonists; he became frustrated with the lack of respect towards

460-533: The Governor's Palace in Williamsburg and took refuge aboard the frigate HMS Fowey at Yorktown on June 8, 1775. For several months, Dunmore replenished his forces and supplies by conducting raids and inviting slaves to join him. When Virginia's House of Burgesses decided that Dunmore's departure indicated his resignation, he drafted a formal proclamation now named after him, signing it on November 7. It

506-549: The Kingswood coalfield . When William Champion expanded his copper-smelting works at Warmley in 1761, he proposed to local coal owners, also including Charles Whittuck of Hanham Hall and Charles Bragge later Lord Bathurst , that they would supply his works with coal as a monopoly, excluding competition from the other local copper and brass makers, in exchange for partnerships in his new Warmley Company. The large coal owners took this opportunity, and construction began on

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552-526: The Siege of Calais , who had acquired the manor of Stoke Gifford in 1337, the second son of Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley, 7th feudal baron of Berkeley (1271–1326), Maurice the Magnanimous , of Berkeley Castle. His descendant Sir Thomas Berkeley (d.1361) of Uley, Gloucestershire married Katherine Botetourt (d.1388), a daughter and co-heiress of John Botetourt, 2nd Baron Botetourt. His son and heir

598-472: The benefit of clergy . Estimates of the number of slaves that reached Dunmore vary, but generally range between 800 and 2,000. The escaped slaves Dunmore accepted were enlisted into what was known as Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment . The only notable battle in which Dunmore's regiment participated was the Battle of Great Bridge in early December 1775, which was a decisive British loss. Dunmore's strategy

644-660: The / sooner be restored, I do require every Person capable of bearing Arms, to resort / to His M AJESTY'S STANDARD, or be looked upon as Traitors to His / M AJESTY'S Crown and Government, and thereby become liable to the Penalty / the Law inflicts upon such Offences; such as forfeiture of Life, confiscation of / Lands, &c. &c. And I do hereby further declare all indentured Servants, Negroes, / or others, (appertaining to Rebels,) free that are able and willing to bear Arms, / they joining His M AJESTY'S Troops as soon as may be, for

690-574: The British Crown. Dunmore's popularity worsened after, following orders, he attempted to prevent the election of representatives to the Second Continental Congress . On April 21, 1775, he seized colonial ammunition stores , an action that resulted in the formation of an angry mob. The colonists argued that the ammunition belonged to them, not to the British Crown. That night, Dunmore angrily swore, "I have once fought for

736-556: The General Assembly now in force in this colony, it is enacted, that all negro or other slaves, conspiring to rebel or make insurrection, shall suffer death, and be excluded all benefit of clergy : We think it proper to declare, that all slaves who have been, or shall be seduced, by his lordship's proclamation, or other arts, to desert their masters' service, and take up arms against the inhabitants of this colony, shall be liable to such punishment as shall hereafter be directed by

782-659: The General Convention. And to that end all such, who have taken this unlawful and wicked step, may return in safety to their duty, and escape the punishment due to their crimes, we hereby promise pardon to them, they surrendering themselves to Col. William Woodford, or any other commander of our troops, and not appearing in arms after the publication hereof. And we do farther earnestly recommend it to all humane and benevolent persons in this colony to explain and make known this our offer of mercy to those unfortunate people. Newspapers such as The Virginia Gazette published

828-673: The Royal forces. The new document, issued from Clinton's temporary headquarters at the Philipsburg Manor House in Westchester County, New York , proclaimed all slaves in the newly-established United States belonging to American Patriots free, regardless of their willingness to fight for the British Crown . It further promised protection, freedom, and land to any slaves who left their masters. The move

874-567: The Virginians and by God, I will let them see that I can fight against them." This was one of the first instances that Dunmore overtly threatened to institute martial law . While he had not formally passed any rulings, news of his plan spread through the colony rapidly. A group of slaves offered their services to the royal governor not long after April 21. Though he ordered them away, the colonial slaveholders remained suspicious of his intentions. As colonial protests became violent, Dunmore fled

920-531: The colonial history of the United States ), who joined the British Army (see also Black Loyalists ). Most relevant historians agree that the proclamation was chiefly designed for practical rather than moral reasons. Formally proclaimed on November 15, its publication prompted between 800 and 2000 slaves (from both Patriot and Loyalist owners) to run away and enlist with Dunmore. It also raised

966-552: The company in order to bring in more funds by making the existing shares transferable and so saleable through the stock market , but these were complicated, long-winded and had to be carried out in secrecy from the competitors. In 1768, the Company began to collapse. Champion, fearing a collapse, was discovered having tried to secretly withdraw some of his capital and was then dismissed from the company that he had founded. Bragge wrote to Botetourt that he had been "completely ruined by

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1012-717: The consequence of my former infatuation". Botetourt was himself in debt, his holdings in the Warmley Company were finally tradeable but now almost worthless and he was in no position to subscribe further money to shore up the company. He fled to America. Despite having fled in 1768 to avoid his debts in England, Botetourt was still in political favour and prospered in America, being appointed Governor of Virginia . In Virginia, he acquired ownership over several slaves , including an enslaved woman named Hannah. The final Treaty

1058-484: The market for both coal and copper was saturated. By 1765 the new company had grown in capacity, but was encountering financial difficulties. The major shareholders were Champion, the new Baron Botetourt, Bragge and Whittuck. Other local landowners and bankers, including Botetourt's coal viewer Charles Arthur, held smaller holdings but the company was under-capitalised; a planned share capital of £50,000 had only been subscribed to £29,000. Efforts were made to re-organise

1104-478: The more speedily / reducing this Colony to a proper Sense of their Duty, to His M AJESTY'S / Crown and Dignity. I do further order, and require, all His M AJESTY'S Leige / Subjects, to retain their Quitrents, or any other Taxes due or that may become / due, in their own Custody, till such Time as Peace may be again restored to this / at present most unhappy Country, or demanded of them for their former salu- / tary Purposes, by Officers properly authorised to receive

1150-514: The new furnaces. However the competing Brass Wire Company, the 'Old Bristol Company' was still able to obtain enough coal locally from small collieries who leased from the larger coal lords. The coal prices paid by the Old Bristol company, including advance payments, even encouraged development of these small pits, with new horse-driven winding engines and even talk of the new steam engines for mine drainage. The monopoly plan did not succeed and

1196-618: The newly raised South Gloucestershire Militia and commanded it from 1758 to 1766. His political career began in 1741 when he was elected to the House of Commons as a knight of the shire for Gloucestershire , a seat he held until 1763. Considered a staunch Tory , Berkeley's fortunes were boosted considerably on the accession of George III in 1760, when he was appointed a Groom of the Bedchamber and in 1762 (until 1766) Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire . In 1764, almost 400 years after

1242-571: The ordinary Course / of the Civil Law is unable to effect; I have thought fit to issue this my Pro- / clamation, hereby declaring, that until the aforesaid good Purposes can be ob- / tained, I do in Virtue of the Power and Authority to ME given, by His M AJE- / STY , determine to execute Martial Law, and cause the same to be executed / throughout this Colony: and to the end that Peace and good Order may

1288-586: The plantations. While Dunmore's Proclamation freed many slaves and enlarged the size of Lord Dunmore's army, it alienated slaveholders and caused many of them to turn against the British. John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore , originally from Scotland , was the royal governor of the Colony of Virginia from 1771 to 1775. Then, in 1771 he was named governor of Virginia after the previous governor, Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt died. During his tenure, he worked proactively to extend Virginia's western borders past

1334-517: The proclamation in full, and patrols were organized to look for any slaves attempting to take Dunmore up on his offer. The Gazette not only criticized Dunmore for offering freedom to only those slaves belonging to revolutionaries who were willing to serve him, but also questioned whether he would be true to his word, suggesting that he would sell the escaped slaves in the West Indies . The paper therefore cautioned slaves to "Be not then...tempted by

1380-678: The proclamation to ruin your selves." Since very few slaves were literate, this was more a symbolic move than anything. It was also noted that Dunmore himself was a slaveholder. On December 4, the Continental Congress recommended to Virginian colonists that they resist Dunmore "to the uttermost..." On December 13, the Virginia Convention responded in kind with a proclamation of its own, declaring that any slaves who returned to their masters within ten days would be pardoned, but those who did not would be hanged without

1426-650: The property of a Rebel, who may take Refuge with any part of this Army: And I do promise to every NEGROE who shall desert the Rebel Standard, full security to follow within these Lines, any Occupation which he shall think proper. Given under my Hand, at Head Quarters, PHILIPSBURGH the 30th day of June, 1779. H CLINTON The proclamation extended the scope of Dunmore's Proclamation , issued four years earlier by Virginia's last Royal governor, Lord Dunmore , granting freedom to slaves in Virginia willing to serve

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1472-402: The rebellion. Yet, this incident also helped increase the possibility of freedom for not only the individual African slaves who helped Dunmore escape but also African slaves in all 13 colonies. After this incident, African slaves became Dunmore’s most important allies and opened the possibility of greater partnership in the future. The relationship between Dunmore and coastal Virginia, by contrast,

1518-1605: The region. In a letter addressed to Berkeley dated 23 December 1768, Berkeley received a petition from forty signatories requesting for leave to take up and survey forty-five thousand acres of land lying on the eastern side of the Ohio River on the lower side of the Little Kanawha River having lately been recognized by the Six Nations of Indians. The names of the requestees were: George Rogers, John Winston, Phillip Pendleton , John Hawkins, William Plumer Thurston, John Todd, John Rice, Nathaniel Pendleton , Bernard Moore , William Overton, Winston Joseph Rogers, John Rogers, William Smith, Augustine Moore , John Pendleton, James Winston, Lewis Webb, Benjamin Lewis , Henry Pendleton, John Page Jr. , Warner Lewis Jr., Thomas Jefferson , Thomas Strachan, John Walker, Alexander Donald , John Johnson, Patrick Morton, Richard Surls, Joseph Coleman, Ambrose Powell, James Boyd, Edward Green, Edward Brown, Thomas Dowel, John McColley, Peter Ferguson , John Sutton, Joseph Hail, Edward Baber, William Shinall, Thomas White, William Dandridge Jr., Isaac Davis, Mordecai Hord, and William Carr. He died in Williamsburg on 15 October 1770, after an illness lasting several weeks. Botetourt never married and left no legitimate heirs. Stoke Park passed to his sister Elizabeth , who continued his improvements. A statue of Botetourt

1564-520: The same. GIVEN under my Hand on board the ship WILLIAM, off Norfolk / the 7th Day of November , in the sixteenth Year of His M AJESTY'S Reign. DUNMORE. (GOD save the KING.) In the official document, he declared martial law and adjudged all revolutionaries as traitors to the British Crown . Furthermore, the document declared "all indentured servants, Negroes, or others...free that are able and willing to bear arms..." Dunmore expected such

1610-419: The ship William, off Norfolk, the 7th day of November 1775, hath offered freedom to such able-bodied slaves as are willing to join him, and take up arms, against the good people of this colony, giving thereby encouragement to a general insurrection, which may induce a necessity of inflicting the severest punishments upon those unhappy people, already deluded by his base and insidious arts; and whereas, by an act of

1656-708: The thesis that Dunmore's Proclamation was motivated by the desire to win the war rather than by genuine concern for the slaves. By His Excellency the Right Honorable JOHN Earl of DUNMORE, His / Majesty's Lieutenant and Governor General of the Colony and Dominion of / Virginia , and Vice Admiral of the same. A PROCLAMATION. As I have ever entertained Hopes that an Accommodation might have / taken Place between Great-Britain and this colony, without being / compelled by my Duty to this most disagreeable but now absolutely necessary / Step, rendered so by

1702-399: The title went into abeyance through lack of direct heirs, he successfully claimed the title of Baron Botetourt as the lineal descendant of Maurice de Berkeley (d. 1361) and his wife Catherine de Botetourt. He thus took a seat in the House of Lords as the 4th Baron de Botetourt, and in 1767 was appointed a Lord of the Bedchamber to George III. The Berkeley family owned liberties in

1748-534: Was Sir Maurice Berkeley (1358-1400), of Uley and Stoke Gifford, MP for Gloucestershire in 1391. In 1726, Berkeley was admitted to Westminster School . He succeeded his father to Stoke Park in Stoke Gifford in 1736 and remodelled both the house (now known as the Dower House ) and the gardens in the 1740s and 1750s with the help of the designer Thomas Wright of Durham. He was appointed Colonel of

1794-641: Was installed in the College Yard in front of the Wren Building , in the place occupied for generations by the original. Botetourt County, Virginia , was named in Botetourt's honour. Historians also believe that Berkeley County, West Virginia , and the town of Berkeley Springs , both now in West Virginia , were also named in his honour, or possibly that of another popular colonial governor, Sir William Berkeley . Lord Botetourt High School in

1840-442: Was one in which Britain was trying to extract as many resources out of the economy as possible, and African slaves helped with this endeavor. Dunmore's Proclamation only applied to slaves who were held by individuals opposed to the British. This meant that if slaves were held by people who were pro-British, they could keep their slaves, as shown by the phrase “appertaining to Rebels” within the document. This gives further evidence to

1886-502: Was one of desperation on the part of the British, who realized that the Revolution was not going in their favor. In some ways, it was too 'successful' once so many slaves escaped (over 5,000 from Georgia alone) that Clinton ordered many to return to their masters. The Treaty of Paris (1783) provided that all property including slaves would be returned to their rebel masters. However, the British commanders refused, and compensation

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1932-538: Was paid instead. About 3,000 former slaves were relocated to Nova Scotia , where they were known as Black Loyalists . Many continued on to Sierra Leone , where they established Freetown , its capital. Dunmore%27s Proclamation Dunmore's Proclamation is a historical document signed on November 7, 1775, by John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore , royal governor of the British colony of Virginia . The proclamation declared martial law and promised freedom for indentured servants , "negroes" or others, ( Slavery in

1978-579: Was placed in the Capitol in Williamsburg in 1773. The Capital of Colonial Virginia was located in Williamsburg from 1699 until 1780, but at the urging of Governor Thomas Jefferson was moved to Richmond for security reasons during the American Revolution . In 1801 the statue of Botetourt was acquired by the College of William and Mary and moved to the campus from the former Capitol building. Barring

2024-458: Was publicly proclaimed a week later. While most historians agree that Dunmore's Proclamation was done for practical rather than ethical reasons, there was one incident which marked the start of a growing cooperation between Dunmore and his slaves. One day Dunmore felt he needed a new mast for one of his ships, so he went to Porto Bello, his hunting lodge. While having dinner with George Montague, one of his naval captains, Dunmore’s men cut down

2070-815: Was signed on 5 November 1768 which established a Line of Property following the Ohio River that gave the Kentucky portion of the Virginia Colony to the British Crown, as well as most of what is now West Virginia. The treaty also settled land claims between the Iroquois and the Penn family; the lands thereby acquired by American colonists in Pennsylvania were known as the New Purchase. This new Treaty sparked requests for additional surveys to be completed in

2116-496: Was ultimately unsuccessful as his forces were decimated by a smallpox outbreak less than a year later. When Dunmore ultimately left the colony in 1776 he took 300 of the former slaves with him. In 1779, British General Sir Henry Clinton issued the Philipsburg Proclamation , which freed slaves owned by revolutionaries throughout the rebel states, even if they did not enlist in the British Army. It resulted in

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