urage
immigration exempted for seven years settlers who were taking up land by
headright. For planters settled before 1616 at the expense of the
company, it seems that they would have been free of paying the quitrent
only for a seven-year period which would have required compliance before
dissolution of the company. Settlers who arrived in Virginia after
Dale's departure in 1616 and before 1618 would most probably have been
subject to the quitrent under the company since they were exempt for
only seven years. Whatever the case, there were rents to be collected
before 1624 as shown by the duties of George Sandys, younger brother of
Sir Edwin Sandys and first appointee to the office of treasurer in
Virginia. Sandys was instructed to collect some L1,000 owed the company
either as rent or as dues.

When Virginia became a royal colony in 1624, the quitrents were then
payable at the rate of one shilling for every fifty acres patented. For
1631 the estimate was made by the Assembly that the quitrents would
bring in as much as 2,000 pounds sterling, if paid. But little effort
was being made to collect the rent and it was not until 1636 that Jerome
Hawley was appointed treasurer. His arrival in the colony the following
year initiated plans for collection. Proceeds from this source of
revenue were to be used for the treasurer's salary; any surplus amount
was to be used at the discretion of the Assembly. In order to determine
who owed the rent, instructions were issued to landholders in Virginia
to show their land titles to the treasurer in order that he could
compute the rents that were due. But little action was taken and it
seems certain that not enough was collected to pay the salary of the
treasurer. In 1639 additional provisions were stipulated by the Assembly
to tighten the quitrent collection by requiring landholders upon summon
by warrant to reveal their title and the size of their estates to
commissioners of the county courts. Following the precedent of "the
greate charter" of 1618, no rents were to be paid until the expiration
of seven years. This provision continued in effect under Charles I and
during the interregnum, but the time limit was retracted in the
instructions to Governor William Berkeley under Charles II. The
retraction was confirmed under James II, the major reason being that it
encouraged individuals to take up larger areas of land than they were
able to cultivate.

Collection of quitrents, however, con