Could you supply the vol and page for the Hening reference? - I'd like to
look at it.
  Incidently, I suspect you're right to attribute disproportionate
representation in House of Burgesses (and House of Delegates under
Constitution of 1776) more to fact that (after the mid 1600s) counties
each sent two burgesses to the General Assembly* and that the formation
of new counties in newly settled areas often lagged behind population
growth.

Jon Kukla

*Borough of Norfolk and College of Wm & Mary were also represented, each
with one burgess, in the 18th century.


> Dear All:
>
> I have been looking into dissenter rights in 18th century VA and am
> still trying to find a definitive answer on a question concerning voting
> rights.  The statutes in force prohibited voting by "recusants," which
> could be any dissenter albeit it was often used to refer to Catholics.
> Various histories that touch on the topic are confused.  (Several say
> that the restriction was that "recusant convicts" could not vote, but
> this error is apparently the result of a typographical error in one
> edition of Henings.  The lineage of the statute makes it clear that
> "recusants" could not vote.)  I know that there are incidents of
> dissenters voting (especially in the Valley) but, complicating that,
> there are also instances of Catholics voting.  I suppose the question is
> whether dissenters were ever expressly blocked from voting because of
> their religion.  (Once secondary source attributes the
> disproportionately low representation of western counties in the House
> of Burgesses and General Assembly to the fact that dissenters could not
> vote, but I think this is more likely explained by inertia and a basic
> Tidewater chauvinism (which continued well into the 19th century).)
>
> So, any clear answers?  Is anyone aware of specific instances where
> dissenters were prevented from voting based upon their religion?  Sources?
>
> Thanks,
> John Ragosta
>
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>


Dr. Jon Kukla, Executive Vice-President
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