RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Costs_MansfieldBillofCosts_001.jpg

Mansfield Bill of Costs Collection, 1754

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:13:20 PM

Added description

Description

Mansfield Bill of Costs Collection, 1754

Overview

The Mansfield Bill of Costs Collection, 1754, is a set of court‑record documents produced by Samson Ashfield, Sheriff of New Haven County, Connecticut. The collection records the monetary charges imposed on Indigenous criminals and a defendant named Sanford during their imprisonment and legal proceedings in February 1754. It is part of the Connecticut State Library’s New Haven County Superior Court files and is linked to the NHSC BAAI project, which focuses on Black, African American, and Indigenous history in the region.

Background

In colonial Connecticut, the sheriff was responsible for the custody and financial accounting of prisoners. The documents in this collection were drafted by Ashfield and later examined and attested by the New Haven Superior Court. The NHSC BAAI initiative seeks to digitize and index such records to illuminate the legal experiences of Indigenous peoples and other marginalized groups in 18th‑century New Haven County.

Contents

The collection contains a single bill of costs, reproduced in both JPEG and TIFF formats. The bill lists detailed fees for:
  • Receiving Indigenous criminals and Sanford into jail (£10 and £2 respectively)
  • “Virtualing” (transportation) of prisoners, with weekly rates of 2/6 of a pound for various periods
  • Provision of wood, blankets, and blacksmith services (including branding irons)
  • Attendance before a grand jury (£0.70)
  • Execution of Sanford (£100) and related costs (£3.18 £)

The document is signed by Sheriff Ashfield and attested by Judge Sam Lynde. It provides a granular view of the financial burdens imposed on prisoners and the administrative procedures of the colonial court system.

Scope

The collection covers New Haven County, Connecticut, in the year 1754. It focuses on the legal and financial treatment of Indigenous criminals and a single non‑Indigenous defendant. The material is relevant to scholars of colonial law, Indigenous history, and the economic dimensions of early American criminal justice. The collection does not include broader court opinions or trial transcripts, but it offers a detailed snapshot of the costs associated with imprisonment and execution during this period.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax -> documents -> @mansfield_bill_of_costs_collection:collection {title: "Mansfield Bill of Costs Collection, 1754", creator: [@samson_ashfield], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1754, language: "en", subjects: ["Indigenous people", "Criminals", "Jail costs", "Legal expenses", "New Haven County"], description: "A collection of documents detailing the costs associated with the imprisonment and legal proceedings of Indigenous criminals and Sanford in New Haven County, Connecticut, in 1754.", place: @new_haven_county_connecticut}


@samson_ashfield:person {full_name: "Samson Ashfield", role: "Sheriff of New Haven County", active_year: @date_1754}


@connecticut_state_library:organization {type: "State library", location: @connecticut}


@new_haven_county_connecticut:place {state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}


@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_costs_mansfieldbillofcosts_001_jpg -> depicts -> @mansion_bill_of_costs_page_001:document {type: "Bill of Costs", date: @date_1754, content_summary: "Charges against Indigenous criminals and Sanford, including fees for receiving into jail, virtualing, wood, blacksmith services, Grand Jury appearance, and execution.", related_to: [@indigenous_criminals, @sanford]}


@indigenous_criminals:concept {description: "Indigenous individuals charged with crimes in New Haven County in 1754"}


@sanford:person {role: "Defendant", charges: ["Receiving into jail", "Virtualing", "Wood provision", "Blacksmith services", "Grand Jury appearance", "Execution"]}


@mansion_bill_of_costs_page_001 -> signed by -> @samson_ashfield


@new_haven_superior_court:organization {type: "Superior Court", jurisdiction: @new_haven_county_connecticut}


@samson_ashfield -> served as -> @new_haven_superior_court {position: "Sheriff"}


@nhsc_baai_project:project {name: "NHSC BAAI Cases Papers", focus: "Black, African American, and Indigenous History", institution: @connecticut_state_library}


@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:field {description: "Subject-index field for BAAI cases and papers in New Haven County Superior Court files", project: @nhsc_baai_project}

Metadata

Files (2)

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Costs_MansfieldBillofCosts_001.jpgJPEG
354.25 KB
OCR Text

Samson Ashfield Sheriff of N. Haven County Charges against the Indians Criminals To receiving of Indians into Goal - £ 10 0 To virtualing of them from Dec. 2, 1753 to March 2, 1754. 13 weeks at 2/6 3 5 0 To 3 Load Wood 1/6 a blanket 1/ 19 6 To the Blacksmith's bill for putting on & Irons taking off & making a branding iron on - £ 0 7 6 To virtualing Aplbo Indian from March 2, 1753 to May 1st 10 weeks at 2/6 1 5 0 To going with criminals before the Grand Jury 0 7 0 £ 6 8 0 Charges against Sanford To receiving Sanford into Goal - £ 2 0 To virtualing him from from 26th of August 1754 to March 2, 1754, 5 weeks at 2/6 12 6 To 4 meas watching 1 night 8 0 To 1 Load Wood 6/ 6 0 To Sam Plumb's bill for taking Sanford bringing to goal with assistance of 2 men one £ 1 7 4 To doing Execution on Sanford 1 0 0 To keeping Virtualing 1 week 2 6 £ 3 18 4 New Haven S. Supl Court Feb. 1754 The above bills exam. & attested & Sam Lynde one of the judges

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:13:20 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:28:41 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:36:29 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:24:03 AM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: NHSC_BAAI_Costs_MansfieldBillofCosts_1754"

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