New Netherland Council Dutch Colonial Ordinances

Chronological by date.

The government of New Netherland, as defined by the Dutch West India Company (WIC), consisted of the director of the colony assisted by a council, comprised of his commissary, secretary, schout (an appointed law enforcement officer with the combined duties of a sheriff and prosecuting attorney), and any skippers in port at the time. This body carried out all executive, legislative, and judicial functions of government, with the exception of matrimonial rites, settlement of estates including those of persons dying intestate, and administration of contracts.

Beginning in 1653, when New Amsterdam received its charter as a municipality, the council served as a court of appeal for New Amsterdam and other jurisdictions and concentrated on executive matters such as making appointments, issuing proclamations, passing ordinances, replying to petitions, and corresponding with governments of neighboring colonies.

Laws and ordinances enacted by the council in Manhattan were adhered to by all communities in New Netherland unless specific to one locality. By 1658 communities were required to post WIC ordinances in their jurisdictions and submit their own ordinances for approval by the council on Manhattan. The council on Manhattan had to submit its own ordinances to the WIC directors in Amsterdam for approval.

This series consists of the ordinances, or laws and regulations written to govern and maintain order in the communities of New Netherland. The ordinances address many aspects of daily life and commerce including personal behavior, customs, marriage, sales, licensing, fees and taxes on goods and services, tobacco, liquor, military service, livestock, construction, fire prevention, currency, ships and shipping, farming, trapping, citizenship, and real estate. This series originally constituted part one of volume 16 of the New York Historical Manuscripts in the New York State Library. The original volume is in the Dutch language.

Photostat use copies of selected documents are available at the New York State Archives.

High resolution images of all original documents in this series are available in State Archives Digital Collections.

A1809, Dutch Colonial Council Minutes, also contains ordinances. Additional ordinances appear at the end of other volumes of the Dutch historical manuscripts. For specific references, consult E. B. O'Callaghan comp.,Calendar of Historical Manuscripts in the Office of the Secretary of State, Albany, N.Y. (Albany: 1865

repr. Ridgewood, N.J.: 1968).

Item list: E.B. O'Callaghan's Calendar of Historical Manuscripts in the Office of the Secretary of State (1866).

The index to series A1875 includes the name of the individual mentioned in the ordinance, the document date, its location within the series, and a link to a digitized copy of the ordinance.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.