24 Assembly Proceedings, 1694-1728.

Public
Record
Office,
London.
C. O. 5,
Vol. 731,
Maryland.
From
1694-1702.
Acts

deterred from seeking of Redress by a due Course of Law for the
Recovery of their just Rights in such Cases wherein the severall &
Respective County Courts have not Jurisdiccon to hold Pleas, but
also many persons criminalls Escape without notice taken of them
or being brought to condigne Punishment the party or partyes Evi-
dences against such Offend", rather choosing to stifle the Fact and
hoodwinke Justice, which otherwise they would have willingly de-
tected then to be put to so great an Inconveniency in attending
Provinciall Courts in order to give in their Evidence at the place
aforesaid. And for that it is taken into consideracon as a thing abso-
lutely necessary that an Act should be made ascertaining in what
part of this Province the Cheif Seat of Judicature therein for the
future should be and remaine: And being found that the appointing
thereof in or neare to the Centre of this Province will most conduce
to the generall Satisfaccon and benefitt of the People
It is therefore humbly prayed That it may be Enacted, And be it
Enacted by the King & Queens most Excellent Ma^tyes by and with the
Advice & Consent of this present Generall Assembly and the author-
ity of the same that from and after the End of the next Provinciall
Court to be held at the City of St. Maryes the sixth day of November
next ensuing, That parte and place known by the name of Anne-
Arrundell Towne lying & being in Anne-Arrundell County upon the
River Seaverne be the Cheif place and Seat of Justice within this
Province for holding of Assemblyes and Provinciall Courts, and that
all writts Pleas and other process issuing out or returnable to the
Provinciall Court as aforesaid or to the Court of Chancery shall from
& after the End of the next Provinciall Court to be held at the City
of St. Maryes as aforesaid be made returnable to Anne-Arrundell
Towne aforesaid and beare Test from the place aforesaid. And it
is hereby Enacted by the Authority aforesaid by and with the
Advice & Consent aforesaid that the Commiss^rs nominated and ap-
pointed for the Surveying and laying out of Towns by an Act made
this present Generall Assembly for the appointing of Towns doe sur-
vey and lay out in the most comodious and convenient parte and place
of the said Towne six Acres of Land intire for the Erecting a Court
House and other buildings as shall be thought necessary and con-
venient for the better accomodating and entertaining of those persons
as shall have occasion to have recourse to the Assemblyes and Provin-
ciall Courts aforesaid on or before the Twenty fifth day of December
next on penalty and Forfeiture of Two Thousand pounds of Tobacco
each Comiss^r as aforesaid, which Court house shall be Forty six foot
in length, from Inside to Inside, and Twenty two foot wide from
Inside to Inside, Brickworke two story high, the lower story to be
Eleaven foot in Pitch, and the upper story to be Eight foot in Pitch
and plastered on the Inside with a Porch & Porch Chamber fourteene
foot long & twelve foot wide of the same worke, the Roofe to be