St Helena laws for inhabitants 1672

With all the talk of police defunding and law and order issues of late. I thought it may be interesting to take a look at some laws from yesteryear. Something tells me BLM/Antifa would not be able to get away with the shenanigans they've been pulling back in 1672 St. Helens.

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From its earliest days, the East India Company’s ships called at the South Atlantic island of St Helena on homeward voyages from Asia

In 1658 the Company decided to fortify St Helena and establish a colony. The first group of English settlers arrived in May 1659. Slaves were brought from West Africa to work on the plantations.

On 4 September 1672 a set of laws was issued: ‘Laws and Constitutions Ecclesiasticall Civill and Millitary made by the Councell to be observed by all the inhabitants of the Island St Hellena’.

The Laws were:

1 God was to be worshipped and served diligently. The guard at Fort St John was to attend morning and evening prayers at the toll of the bell, and all inhabitants were to attend church on Sunday unless prevented by necessity.

2 Sunday was to be kept holy and all were to refrain from cursing, swearing and excessive drinking.

3 To prevent idleness, every family was to have a plantation. They must not encroach on their neighbours’ lands or privileges.

4 Everyone was to look after their plantations, keep the ground well-fenced, ring their hogs, and improve the stock of cattle for the promotion of trade.

5 Inhabitants should endeavour to live in love and unity. Anyone bickering, brawling, or slandering neighbours would be severely punished.

6 No-one was to take revenge over a quarrel, instead going with witnesses to the Council for redress.

7 Every man was to live honestly and maintain himself and his family by careful labour and industry. The Council would punish anyone stealing from a neighbour.

8 Anyone found guilty of murder, burglary, buggery or any other capital crime would be shipped to England for trial and sentencing.

9 If debts were not settled on time, the Council would seize goods or cattle as payment.

10 Inhabitants were encouraged to build outside the Fort for the convenience of trade, and had permission to go on board English or friends’ ships.

11 Seamen were not to stay on the island without permission. Anyone harbouring a sailor would be fined £5. The sailor would be housed with the black slaves and work on the Company’s plantations until he could be returned to England,

12 Everyone capable of bearing arms was to respond to all alarms, with a 20s fine or a week’s imprisonment for each default.

13 The watch was to be observed continually and strictly when shipping approached. Each instance of neglect would be punished by a fine of 5s or another penalty decided by the Council.

14 Everyone was to go to Fort St John four times a year to be trained in martial discipline for the safety and defence of the island.

15 Anyone raising a mutiny or causing a disturbance of orderly government would be put in irons and sent home to the Company.

16 Anyone hearing of a plot, conspiracy or mutiny was liable to the same punishment as the perpetrators if they failed to alert the Council.

Not a terribly long list, pretty straightforward stuff. 3&4 are kind of interesting. To prevent idleness, every family was given a piece of land and expected to work and maintain those lands to support themselves and bolster trade.

5-7 seem dedicated to preserving societal order on a small island colony.

The laws in general seem fairly strict but suitable for the conditions of the colony. I imagine life there wasn't the easiest and in order to survive there and have a community order had to be maintained and idleness had to be avoided and productivity maintained.

a reply to: dug88
No 11 is there to stop sailors deserting their ships, so it's included in the interests of the East India Company as a sea-trading commercial body.

a reply to: dug88
I wonder, what was “buggery?” 😂

a reply to: KansasGirl
Also known as Sodomy.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: KansasGirl
Also known as Sodomy.

Ah! So no “Anal-night Tuesdays” at any of those households.

a reply to: KansasGirl
Especially since "capital" means the death-penalty.

a reply to: dug88

Sunday was to be kept holy and all were to refrain from cursing, swearing and excessive drinking.

Was that last part just on Sundays? If not it kind of makes family holiday dinners rather boring.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus
All week, I suspect. Charles II was on the throne, but the London commercial world was Puritan in those days.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
All week, I suspect. Charles II was on the throne, but the London commercial world was Puritan in those days.

Makes it hard to scream at your television when watching live sporting events as well.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus
I hope you're not screaming at the Chicago Bears, because "bear-baiting" was banned anyway.

originally posted by: KansasGirl
a reply to: dug88
I wonder, what was “buggery?” 😂

Likely, in this context, referred to any sexually immoral act, specifically including sodomy and beastiality but likely also encompassing any other acts outside of monogamous sex inside of marriage.

Something tells me BLM/Antifa would not be able to get away with the shenanigans they've been pulling back in 1672 St. Helens.

a reply to: dug88


Because all of the black people were f*$/ing slaves.

a reply to: Atsbhct

Nah not all of them

en.m.wikipedia.org...

They also had a lot of Asian slaves, more than black people.

Also, in the end, they were over run by rats and goats for a while....and it was a pretty brutal place to live all around.

After reading a bunch of the history of that place, which your comment inspired me to do, i wouldn't want to have lived in that place whatever colour I was, that place sounded like hell on Earth.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: KansasGirl
Also known as Sodomy.

Ouch!