Hemp in the
American Colonies
Compiled by Nancy
Quillin Long November 2023
CHRISTOPHER VINEYARD 1733-1807
On the 8 Oct 1771, Christopher came before the court in Botetourt County to Prove a certificate for 522 lbs. of hemp, which was ordered to be certified. Documented in the Annals of Southwest Virginia, 1769-1800, p 133 filmstrip #153
https://www.farmcollector.com/farm-life/strategic-fibers/
https://ecosciences.com/blog/hemp-history-united-states/
In 1533, King Henry VIII mandated that for every 60 acres,
each farmer must set aside ¼ acres to grow hemp or face steep fines. The
Reformation had caused fear that the surrounding Catholic countries would
eventually attempt to invade and reconvert Britain, so hemp fiber was used to
manufacture copious amounts of sails and rigging for the King’s Navy.
Hemp arrived in Colonial America with the Puritans in the
form of seed for planting and as fiber in the lines, sails and caulking of the
Mayflower. British sailing vessels were never without a store of hemp seed, and
Britain’s colonies were compelled by law to grow hemp.
A related decree was enacted in 1632 when the Virginia
Assembly commanded that every farmer must produce hemp, and this in turn
prompted similar edicts in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Hemp was incredibly
valuable, as it could be used as a legitimate form of currency. farmers were
allowed to pay taxes with it. While much of the hemp produced in the colonies
was initially exported to Britain, its domestic use grew in importance when
tensions increased, and the seeds of revolution were sown. The Colonies produced
cordage, cloth, canvas, sacks and paper from hemp during the years leading up
to the Revolutionary War. Nearly 55 tons of fiber was needed for the lines and
rigging of the USS Constitution, America’s oldest Navy ship affectionately
called “Old Ironsides”. The Continental Army was able to use it to barter for
other supplies and weapons that were needed in order to defeat the British. In
addition, the soldiers’ uniforms and battle flags were made from hemp fiber.
Ironically, the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence were penned on
hemp paper.
Hemp fiber was so important to the young Republic that
George Washington grew hemp and encouraged all citizens to sow hemp widely.
Thomas Jefferson bred improved hemp varieties and invented a special brake for
crushing the plant’s stems during fiber processing.
