As we celebrate 400 years of the first recorded session of the
Supreme Court of Bermuda (formerly known as the Court of General
Assize), it seems fitting to reflect on the Island's long legal
history and culture.
This is the first of a series of short reflections on our legal
history illustrated by a number of early legal documents pertaining
to Bermuda which have been recently acquired. [Note: The
documents referred to in this series were acquired from Anthony
Pettit, a notable dealer in antique books, maps and documents in
Bermuda.]
The Indenture
The first document I will refer to is a private Deed of Sale of
one 25 acre "Share of Land" in "Warwick Tribe"
sold by one Samuel Smith to one Humphrey Beane Esquire. The
document is a "Deed of Indenture". By ancient legal
tradition, formal legal documents were torn along the top edge of
the document to prevent (or at least deter) forgery. Hence
documents of a formal nature were cut in a wavy line across the top
(or
