I am reminded by the recent pardon of the convicted witch, Grace
Sherwood of Princess Anne County, that in the course of her trial, she
was examined for the "marks of the devil" by a jury of women.  This
usage of jury refers to the earlier function of juries as determiners of
fact, but obviously also served the purposes of modesty.

David Kiracofe

David Kiracofe
History
Tidewater Community College
Chesapeake Campus
1428 Cedar Road
Chesapeake, Virginia 23322
757-822-5136
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A bill that passed the General Assembly on 15 March 1950 allowed
Virginia women to serve on juries for the first time; a bill that passed
in 1952 allowed Virignia women to serve on grand juries for the first
time.

I presume, but do not recall for certain, that each law went into effect
on the ensuing 1 July.

(Here: insert Ides of March joke.)

Brent Tarter
The Library of Virginia
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Visit the Library of Virginia's web site at http://www.lva.lib.va.us

-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Judy Gabor
Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2006 8:31 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Women Jurors in VA

Dear Listers,

Could one of you wonderful historians or legal beagles give me the date
when women became eligible  to serve on juries in VA?

Thanks - Judith Bailey Gabor

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