William and Mary College Quarterly, Vol VIII, 1899-1900, p 161-62
Census of Tithables in Surry County in the Year 1668. The tithables consisted on all male natives of the country and imported free persons above 16; and all male white servants, and all female white servants who worked in the ground and all male and female negro and Indian servants, whether above or under sixteen. The population was generally estimated as four times the tithables.
The list of Lawnes Creek Tythables: Mathew Swann (1)
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Surry Co, VA, Book II, March 1671-July 1684,
. p 27, May 26, 1673, Inquistion of Plantation now in possession of Mathew Swann Att. Lower Chipaoks in Surry Co. Sworn before Capt. Chas. Barham, High Sheriff of value of plantation less by reason of lease by Capt. John Grove dec. to Geo. Domingo etc. of land 30 acres on which Mat. Swann now lives..not above 15 acres plantable land for corne or tob...noe timber trees fit for bords, poles or stakes...1000 lbs tob. verdict.
...p 40, January 3, 1673/4. Decision of Law. Baker & Robt. Spenser, two of the Justices of this CO. about the Giddy headed multitude informed abt. 12 of br. (sic) last past a company of seditious & ride people to the number of ffourteene did unlawfully assemble at ye pah. Church of Lawnes Creek with intent to declare they would not pay their publiq taxes, & yet they expected diverse others to meet them, who failing the did not put their wicked designs in execution & by statute of ye 13th of Henry IV, Chap. 7, we sent out warrant for: the following, to appear.
Matt Swann Jno. Barnes
Wm. Hancock Wm. Tooke
Robt. Lacy Jno. Gregory
Tho. Clay Michael Upchurch
Jno. Sheppard Geo. Peeters
James Chissell
They not being satisfied with their former unlawfull meeting did the greatest part of them, this day meete together in ye old field called ye Dwell's field & did confederate to not discover who were first Instigators of them & have agreed to persistin ye same as appears by open declaring of Roger Delk that if one suffers they would burn all, so have vommitted the aforesd persons to custody of Sheriff until they find Secuirty for their appearance at next County Court, etc.
. p 69, September 23, 1674, By Wm. Berkeley, Gov. and Capt. General of VA., remits fines of Mathew Swan and the other poor men fined in Surry County Court, provided they acknowledge their faults in the county Court.
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Surry County, VA - Extracts from Records; William and Mary College Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 2, p 82
MILITIA IN 1687. Lists Math : Swann
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Virginia Colonial Militia, 1651-1776, William Armstrong Crozier, Baltimore, Southern Book Co., 1954, p 101
Militia in Surry County in 1687, "This Court having considered the Capacitie and abilities of the severall Freeholders and Inhabitants of this county doe most humbly present his Excellency the following persons for horse and ffoott as they are here severall set downe." Ordr. Of Council dated 8 br. Ye 24th, 1687
For Horse - Listed is Math. Swann
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Colonial Surry, by John Bennett Boddie, The Dietz Press, Richmond, Virginia, 1948, p 105-107
America's First Tax Strike, The simple meeting of citizens to complain about their taxes seems to have been regarded as an extremely serious matter in 17th century Virginia under Berkeley's autocratic rule. Surry County court held January 6, 1673/4 (OB 1671-90. p 42) "Mathew Swam was a Chief projector of ye design and being asked if he were convinced and said yt ye court had unjustly proceeded in ye sd Levy and charged ye court therewith at ye Barr, it is therefore order'f that he stand committed untell he give bond for his good abearing with security for his appearance at ye 3'd day of ye next Genrall Cort before ye Right Honourable ye Governour and Councell for his Dangerous Contempt and unlawful project and his wicked persisting in ye same; and being called again one by one examined how and by whome ye sd unlawfull assembly was projected and sett on foot; it appearint yt ye sd Mathew Swam, Jno. Barnes, Jno. Sheppard and Wm. Hancock at ye house of ye sd Jno. Barnes did first resolve and conclude upon ye meeting and yt ye rest."
The case of Matthew Swan was finally brought before the Council and General Court of Virginia on the afternoon of April 6, 1674 and settled as follows: "It is ordered that the order of Surry Court against the mutinuss Psons he Confirmed and that Mathew Swan the ringleader of them, who was bound over to the Court be Fined 2,000 pounds of tobacco and Caske and that all fines of the Psons goe towards the ffort at James Citty and that they pay all Just Costs and Charges." (Minutes of Council and General Court, p 367)
This, however, did not end the matter, for there is always a court of public opinion to which even dictators sometimes bow. This action caused so much resentment among the colonists that Governor Berkeley found it advisable to remit the fines which he finally did on September 23, 1674. (W.M. 23, p 122)
It is significant that these events occurred a full two years before the outbreak of the Rebellion, and the case indicates the discontent of the people and their sullen attitude toward their rulers. Only Lawnes Creek Parish men were involved in the above. When the actual rebellion broke out, most of those involved with Bacon - in fact, a very large majority - were inhabitants of Southwark, the other parish in Surry. Perhaps the spirit of the Lawnes Creek men had been broken by the condemnation of Matthew Swan and his colleagues.
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The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol XXX, 1922, p 382
also in Calendar of Virginia State Papers, May 16, 1795 to December 31, 1798, Vol 8, p 140
Wiliamsburg Court March 27, 1776 A warrant to Mathew Swan for 4 pounds, to be charged to the continent, being in part for bringin 2 Brass Cannon from Philadelphia.
