Dale's Code

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Shortly thereafter, in 1611, the Governor of Virginia Sir Thomas Dale, enacted the “Lawes Divine, Morall, and Martial,” which became known as Dale’s code.n1 The code constructed a rather authoritarian system of government for Virginia in that it established a “single ruling group” that held a great deal of power over the colony.n2 Additionally, the word “Martial,” contained in Dale’s Code governed the duties of soldiers, while the terms “‘Divine’ and ‘Moral’” related to crime and punishment.n3 The code provided that the punishment of death be given to any colonist who committed such “trivial crimes.” as embezzling and/or stealing certain property deemed to be intrinsically valuable to colonial life.n4 Dale’s Code remained in force until 1618.n5

                                 Notes

1. Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law 2nd ed. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1985), 41. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. David Thomas Konig, “‘Dale’s Laws’ and the Non-Common Law Origins of Criminal Justice in Virginia,” The American Journal of Legal History 26, no. 4 (1982): 354.