Fellow List Members:

A question has arisen on another forum that needs some expert answers.  
I'll try to be as concise as possible:

1.  Were German Protetesants ever required to attend services at the  
established Church of England? Some are saying that since this  
compulsory, I am of the opinion that they were not, since they had  
their own ministers and paid for their minister and churchs.

2. Were German Protestants required to pay parish levies after the  
expiration (in this case Spotsylvania County) of their exemptions from  
"publick" levies.

3. It is my understanding that there were three types of levies (not  
including port fees and clerk's fees, and the like:

a) "publick levies" to fund the colonial government

b) county levies to pay for the local county government

c) parish levies to pay for the church and its sundry duties to the  
community.

I realize that the enabling legislation creating Spotsylvania County  
was quite vague on this point, and even more vague on the question of  
whether the Germans (in this case First Colony who removed to  
Germantown in Fauquier County) were exempt from paying their parish  
levies or not.  This and many other vagueries in the enabling  
legislation led to no end of troubles for Alexander Spotswood. (But he  
had only himself to blame, as he was the primary author of the  
legislation.)

I am not seeking a rehash of Hening's Statutes at Large, but a deeper  
and broader understanding of the items above. Other than having to  
attend just one communion service, and various oaths of loyalty, in  
order to become Naturalized, I cannot imagine any circumstances under  
which the German Protestants would have been required to attend  
Anglican Services.

To gives this a broader scope, who else (if anyone) was also exempt  
from compulsory church attendance? Quakers, Presbyterians? Or even  
broader, a discussion on all taxaton policies of colonial Virginia.

If there is an article that has been written on this topic in more  
detail than that provided by the LVA Research Note on this topic, I  
would be happy to learn of it.

We are looking at the time frame from 1720 to the Revolution. I  
realize laws MAY have changed. The primary question here is the issue  
of paying parish levies even if one was not a member of the Anglican  
Church.

All help greatly appreciated.

Craig Kilby
Lancaster, VA

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