And now another question has come

Paul:
.... I have your ear (?eye?), I also have a couple of cases where
headright land was claimed more than once for the same person.  Was
this
just outright fraud?
Mickey
***

Nope, not atall, though the result was probably an oversight by
Parliament
when the law was framed early in the 17th-Century.

So, suppose that I buy your headright from the ship owner who
brought you from Britain to VA.  I then have an exclusive right to
your labor, time, service, and skills - virtually your very life -
for a term of years.  Let's suppose you came here at age 18 and, as
usual, you would have to serve me till age 25.

Then suppose that when you were 22 I no longer needed you for
whatever reason - I died, retired, gave up farming tobacco or
whatever, took up the cloth, was thrown in jail, or ran off West
with the neighbor's wife.  Since you still owed me 3 years (25-22),
I or my estate could sell your remaining term of service for
whatever amount I could bargain from a buyer.

If I did that, and then that new buyer found he could make a profit
by selling your 3 years of servitude to still yet another person, he
well might do so.  On and on.

Notice that each of these 'owners' of you in theory had reimbursed
the previous owner for your transportation, and accordingly, under
the ill-drafted law, each was entitled to land for having
"transported" you.

The main reason the practice continued without interruption was
because there was a seemingly limitless quantity or land available
for settlement, thus the law was not amended for MANY decades.
Notice too that Britain collected more taxes since more land had
been settled, more crops raised or products made, and more money was
flowing, and so they were as pleased as government is today when
they steal our money in the form of taxes.  :-) Paul

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html