Mecklenburg County, NC - Queen's College Established, 1771

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Act of the North Carolina General Assembly concerning Queen's College
North Carolina. General Assembly
January 15, 1771
Volume 08, Pages 486-490
[B. P. R. O. B. T. Acts N. Carolina. Vol. 6.]

An Act for founding establishing and endowing of Queen's College in the 
Town of Charlotte in Mecklenburg County.

Whereas the proper education of Youth has always been considered as the 
most certain source of tranquility, happiness and improvement both of 
private families and of States and Empires and there being no 
Institution or Seminary of Learning established in this Province, 
whither the rising generation may repair, after having acquired at a 
Grammar School a competent knowledge of the Greek, Hebrew and Latin 
Languages to imbibe the principles of Science and virtue and to obtain 
under learned, pious and exemplary teachers in a collegiate or academic 
mode of instruction a regular and finished education in order to 
qualify them for the service of their friends and Country, and whereas 
several Grammar schools have been long taught in the western parts of 
this Government, in which many students have made very considerable 
progress in the languages and other literary attainments, and it being 
thought by many pious, learned and public-spirited persons that great 
and singular benefits & advantages would be derived to the Publick, 
could some one of them receive the encouragement and sanction of a Law, 
for the Establishment thereof on a lasting & permanent basis, wherefore 

Be it enacted by the Governor, Council and Assembly and by the 
authority of the same that Messrs. Edmund Fanning, Thomas Polk, Robert 
Harris, Junior, Abraham Alexander, Hezekiah Alexander, John McNitt 
Alexander, Ezekiel Polk, Thomas Neal, Wm Richardson, Hezekiah T. Balch, 
Joseph Alexander, Waitstell Avery, Henry Patillo and Abner Nash, be and 
they are hereby formed and incorporated into a Body Politic or 
Corporate, by the name of the Fellows and Trustees of the incorporated 
Society, for founding establishing and endowing Queens College in 
Charlotte Town and by that name to have perpetual succession and a 
Common Seal, and that they and their Successors by the Name aforesaid 
shall be able and capable in Law to purchase, have receive enjoy 
possess and retain to them and their Successors for ever, in special 
trust and confidence to and for the uses and purposes of founding 
establishing & endowing the said College, and supporting a President of 
the same and the number of three or less tutors, any Lands, Rents, 
Tenements and Heriditaments of what kind nature or quality whatsoever 
and also to sell, grant, demise, alien or dispose of the same, and also 
receive and take any charity, gift or donation, whatsoever to the said 
College and by the same name to sue implead be sued and impleaded, 
answer and be answered in all Courts of Record whatsoever.

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid that Edmund 
Fanning, Thomas Polk, Robert Harris Junior, Abraham Alexander, Hezekiah 
Alexander, John McNitt Alexander, Ezekiel Polk, Thomas Neal, Wm 
Richardson, Hezekiah Balch, Joseph Alexander, Waitsell Avery, Henry 
Patillo & Abner Nash, Trustees and Fellows or a majority of them are 
hereby authorized, required and directed to meet at the Grammar school 
in the County of Mecklenburg aforesaid on the 1st day of March next 
after the passing of this Act then and there to elect, nominate, 
constitute and appoint by commission in writing under their hands 
sealed with the common seal of the said College, some learned, pious, 
exemplary and discreet person to be President of the said College and 
in like manner three or a less number of Tutors duly qualified for 
instructing & educating of the students of the said College and from 
time to time thereafter at the said School until the College shall be 
erected in the Town of Charlotte aforesaid and then in the Hall of the 
said College to convene & meet together and under their common Seal to 
make such Rules, Regulations & Ordinances for the admission or 
dismission of the President and Tutors of said College and for 
ascertaining the time of the admission of students or members and also 
the time of their continuance at College before they shall be entituled 
to receive the degree of Batchelor and Master of Arts, which said 
degrees the President of said College for the time being is hereby 
authorized & empowered to confer at the Public commencement on such as 
may be thought deserving of receiving the honours of the said Seminary 
of Learning and in Testimony thereof to give and deliver to the said 
Student so graduated a diploma under the Seal of the said College and 
signed by the President and a majority of the said fellows and 
Trustees. Also for directing the mode of Instruction and the course of 
studies to be pursued by the several classes, and for the better 
regulating and well ordering the Morals, Studies and Collegiate 
exercises of the Students & Members of the said College as to them 
shall seem requisite and necessary and best calculated to answer the 
good purposes hereby intended provided always that the said rules and 
ordinances correspond and be as near as may be agreeable to the Laws & 
Customs of the Universities of Oxford & Cambridge or those of the 
Colleges in America.

And provided further that no person shall be admitted to be President 
of the said College but who is of the Established Church and who upon 
being nominated & appointed by the Fellows and Trustees as aforesaid or 
the majority of them shall be duly licenced by the Governor or 
Commander in Chief for the time being.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid that the said 
fellows and Trustees before they be deemed qualified to enter on the 
execution of the Trust reposed in them by this Act do before some 
Magistrate, take the several Oaths of Government, subscribe the Test, 
and also take the following Oath to wit,

I, A. B. do swear that I will duly and faithfully to the best of my 
skill and ability execute and discharge the several Trust, Power and 
Authorities wherewith I am invested by an Act of Assembly, for 
founding, establishing and endowing of a College in Charlotte and that 
in all things for the well ordering and Government thereof I will do 
equal and impartial Justice to the best of my Knowledge, So help me 
God.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the said 
Fellows and Trustees or a majority of them after their qualification as 
aforesaid shall meet at the School House the first day of March next 
after the passing hereof, to nominate and elect out of their number a 
fit and proper person to be Treasurer to the said Society, which 
Treasurer shall be annually elected on the first Tuesday in March, into 
whose hands shall be paid all moneys of or belonging to the said 
School, he first giving Bond and security in the sum of three thousand 
pounds Proclamation money to the first in nomination of his Brother 
Fellows and Trustees for the faithful discharge of his Office and the 
Trust reposed in him, and that the said Treasurer shall annually on the 
said first Tuesday in March settle his Accounts with the Fellows and 
Trustees of all disbursements, donations, gifts, bequests, or other 
charities that may belong or accrue to the said College the preceding 
year, and upon the said Treasurer's neglect or refusal to settle and 
pay over to the succeeding Treasurer what money may be in his hands 
belonging to the said Society the same method of recovery may be had 
against him as is provided for the recovery of monies from Sheriffs or 
other persons chargeable with publick monies.

And whereas it will be necessary that a Successor of the Fellows and 
Trustees should be kept up, be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, 
that on the death, refusal to qualify or removal out of the Province of 
the said Fellows and Trustees the remaining Fellows and Trustees, or a 
majority of them, shall elect, nominate and appoint by commission under 
the seal of the said College, signed by the said Fellows and Trustees, 
or a majority of them, other Fellows and Trustees in the room and stead 
of those dead, removed out of the Province or refusing to act, which 
Fellows and Trustees so elected, nominated and appointed shall be 
vested with the same Trusts, Powers and authorities as other Fellows 
and Trustees, He or they first taking the several Oaths by this Act 
directed for his or their qualification.

And the said Fellows and Trustees being desirous that some certain 
revenue be raised for founding, establishing and endowing the said 
College, Be it enacted by the authority afore said, that a duty of six 
pence per gallon on all rum or other spirituous liquors brought into 
and disposed of in Mecklenburg County be paid for and during the space 
of ten years from and after the passing of this Act, by the owners and 
carriers thereof, for and towards raising a fund for the purposes 
aforesaid, which said duty shall be collected, accounted for and paid 
to the Treasurer of the said College in the same manner and under the 
same Penalties and Restrictions as other duties on spirituous liquors 
are now paid and collected by Law.

WILLIAM TRYON.
JAMES HASELL, President.
RICHARD CASWELL, Speaker.

Read three times and ratified in open Assembly this 15th day of January 
1771.