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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Memorandum by William Badham concerning the fees earned by the Chief Justice of North Carolina
Badham, William
August 02, 1731
Volume 03, Pages 197-198

[B. P. R. O. Am: & W. Ind: Vol. 22. P. 119.]
Mr BADHAM'S VALUATION OF THE CHIEF JUSTICES PLACE IN NORTH CAROLINA.

To His Excellency George Burrington Esqre Governor of North Carolina.


August 2nd 1731.

Sir,

Pursuant to your Excellencys Directions I have Endeavoured to make a Computation of the Profits arising to the Chief Justice of North Carolina by Virtue of his Commission which I had the honour to serve him as Clerk of the General Court into which office I entered at March Gen1 Court Anno. Domini. 1722 His Salary from the Lords Proprietors was sixty pounds per annum, and fees due and paid for Deeds of Land acknowledged & proved before him were then about fifty pounds Yearly, besides proving Letters of Attorney & other Instruments of writing and warrants issued heard and determined by him and bayle taken before him which in all probability amounted to fifty pounds per annum more. And the Fees due in all Actions before him as Chief Justice in the General Court I formed of him which brought me in near or quite five hundred pounds per annum. for some years after our Agreement. But when Publick Differences & Divisions happened amongst us the perquisites & Profits of that office were wonderfully hurt and diminished and the writts & process thence issuing were very seldom executed as

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they ought to have been especially in the southern part of the Province, and in the Northern County, vizt Albemarle County very badly, partly owing to the Defect of the Provost Marshall and his Deputys and the Disputes that arose about appointing that Officer, besides which our late Governor Sir Richard Everard in the year 1729 issued a Proclamation for suspending the Chief Justice and afterwards t'was very rare if any writt or other process by him sign'd were obeyed, which caused a great defect of Justice & delay in business so that many suffered thereby besides the Officers of the Court amongst whom one of the greatest sufferers was

Your Excellency's most obedient humble servant
Wm BADHAM.

To His Excellency, the Governor.