Certificate of Vessel Inspection under the Act of March 17, 1856, 1858

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
170 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Special Collections Public Services & Reference Staff
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Preferred citation:

MSS 16967, Certificate of Vessel Inspection under the Act of March 17, 1856, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Summary

Extent:
.03 Cubic Feet 1 letter folder
Creator:
Auger Down Books
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

MSS 16967, Certificate of Vessel Inspection under the Act of March 17, 1856, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains one official certificate issued under the Virginia law of March 17, 1856, aimed at preventing the escape of enslaved individuals from ports "for the better protection of slave property in this Commonwealth." It recorded the inspection of a vessel prior to departure, authorized inspectors to search vessels and detain them if necessary, and offered monetary rewards for those who captured freedom seekers.

This certificate, headed "State of Virginia, To-wit," certifies the schooner "Schr. Vandavi" of "Richland," whereof Jos. H. Brice is Master," "was duly inspected by me this 15 day of June 1858 and no cause for detention found." It is signed by Inspector Jas. H. Skinner and attested by the Chief Inspector.

The document reflects the operation of Virginia's 1856 statute, which required the inspection of vessels suspected of carrying enslaved persons seeking to escape via maritime routes. The law had been passed under pressure from enslavers, the most severe of many similar laws enacted in previous decades, amid increasing fears of Underground Railroad activity. The law mandated

Biographical / historical:

Passed on March 17, 1856, the Act "providing additional protection for the slave property of citizens of this commonwealth" was a strict Virginia law designed to prevent enslaved people from escaping via maritime routes. It required rigorous inspections of vessels leaving Virginia ports, generating certificates of inspection as part of a state-level initiative to combat the Underground Railroad

The legislation, passed by the General Assembly, responded to growing anxieties about enslaved people seeking freedom from captivity in Tidewater Virginia.Vessels were inspected to ensure no enslaved people were hidden aboard, and records of these inspections were filed, creating a maritime register of over 13,000 vessels.

Penalties and Rewards: The law imposed harsh penalties on free African Americans assisting escapees (5–10 year prison sentences) and provided $100 rewards for capturing fugitives on ships.Duration: These inspections were active from 1856 until Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861.

Acquisition information:
This collection was a purchase from Auger Down Books to the Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia Library on 6 May 2026.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard