Yorktown in York County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Mary Aggie and the Benefit of Clergy
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, November 25, 2015
1. Mary Aggie and the Benefit of Clergy Marker
Inscription.
Mary Aggie and the Benefit of Clergy. . Mary Aggie, an enslaved woman, was convicted of theft in York County in 1730. Lt. Gov. William Gooch, impressed with Mary’s profession of faith when she sued previously for her freedom, supported her 1730 claim for “benefit of clergy,” which then allowed only white men to escape the harshest penalties for most first offenses by reading a passage from the Bible. Gooch’s support resulted in Aggie's pardon on the condition that she be sold out of Virginia. In 1732, the General Assembly extended a modified form of benefit of clergy to all races and women. Aggie probably never knew her plea's significant legal effect. Virginia abolished the benefit by 1848.
Mary Aggie, an enslaved woman, was convicted of theft in York County in 1730. Lt. Gov. William Gooch, impressed with Mary’s profession of faith when she sued previously for her freedom, supported her 1730 claim for “benefit of clergy,” which then allowed only white men to escape the harshest penalties for most first offenses by reading a passage from the Bible. Gooch’s support resulted in Aggie's pardon on the condition that she be sold out of Virginia. In 1732, the General Assembly extended a modified form of benefit of clergy to all races and women. Aggie probably never knew her plea's significant legal effect. Virginia abolished the benefit by 1848.
Erected 2011 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number NP-13.)
Location. 37° 13.415′ N, 76° 30.848′ W. Marker is in Yorktown, Virginia, in York County. Marker is at the intersection of Goosley Road (Virginia Route 238) and Historical Tour Road, on the right when traveling east on Goosley
Credits. This page was last revised on March 19, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 25, 2015, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 457 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 25, 2015, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.