Westmoreland County (Va.) Processioner's Records, 1700s circa

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Westmoreland County (Va.) Processioner's Records, 1700s circa. Local government records collection, Westmoreland County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Summary

Creator:
Westmoreland County (Va.) Circuit Court
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Westmoreland County (Va.) Processioner's Records, 1700s circa. Local government records collection, Westmoreland County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Westmoreland County (Va.) Processioner's Records, 1700s circa typically record an area of land processioned with geographical landmarks, roads, property lines noted, the names of the persons present, the date(s) when the processioning occurred, the names of the processioners, and the date that the return was recorded by the local court.

Biographical / historical:

Westmoreland County was named for the English county. It was formed from Northumberland County in 1653. The county seat is Montross.

Westmoreland County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Many loose papers were burned during the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Volumes that record deeds, court orders (except for an order book for the period 1764–1776), and wills exist.

Two freeholders were appointed on order of the county court to procession or review the bounds of farms or tracts of land in each precinct in order to renew or replace old landmarks. This was originally a function of the church vestry, but was continued by the court after disestablishment. Persons who walked the boundaries were called processioners.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Westmoreland County.
Arrangement:

Chronological.

Physical location:
Library of Virginia
Physical description:
3 b.