The Assembly had
realized that the chief cause of trouble was the encroachment by the
whites upon Indian territory. Efforts, therefore, had been made to
remove this cause of friction by permitting purchases from the natives
provided each sale was publicly announced before a quarter court or the
Assembly. But the plan had not been a complete success. Various members
of the colony had employed all kinds of ingenious devices to persuade
the natives to announce in public their willingness to part with their
land. Dishonest interpreters had rendered "them willing to surrender
when indeed they intended to have received a confirmation of their owne
rights." In view of these evil practices the Assembly declared all
future sales to be null and void.

Twenty-eight years later in 1690 the Governor and Council in accord with
this restriction nullified several purchases made from the Chickahominy
Indians. By order of the Assembly in 1660 this tribe had received lands
in Pamunkey Neck. Since that time several colonists had either purchased
a part of their land or encroached upon their territory without regard
for compensation. In neither case were the white settlers allowed to
remain. All leases, sales, and other exchanges were declared void by the
Governor and Council, and all intruders were ordered to withdraw and
burn the buildings that had been constructed. George Pagitor, being one
of the settlers affected by this order, had obtained about 1,200 acres
in Pamunkey Neck from the natives. He had built a forty-foot tobacco
barn and kept two workers there most of the year. When his purchase was
declared void, he was ordered to return the land to the natives and to
burn the barn that had been constructed. Accompanying this executive
decree was an order to the sheriff of New Kent County authorizing him to
carry out the will of the officials of the colony and to burn the barn
himself, if necessary.

Commissioners were also employed for the supervision of Indian lands.
Upon the recommendation of the committee appointed for Indian affairs,
the Assembly in 1662 authorized the Governor to appoint a commission "to
enquire into and examine the severall claimes made to any part of our
neighboring Indian land, and confirme such persons who have justly
invested themselves, and cause all others to remove." The English with
rights to land within three miles of the natives were to assist in
fencing the Indian corn fields. This was done to prevent