Nancy Morton

February is Black History Month and in honour of that, I would like to bring to your attention, the case of Nancy Morton. Nancy Morton was a slave in New Brunswick around the turn of the 19th century and in 1800 she became a central figure in a year-long court case that was brought to the NB Supreme Court. Represented by Ward Chipman and Samuel Denny Street she sought to win her freedom. A fuller description of the case and circumstances around it has been prepared by the Heritage Branch, of the Dept. of Wellness, Culture and Sport in New Brunswick.

Of special interest is the brief for the case prepared by Chipman and Street (more info here) which is available courtesy of the UNB libraries where the brief has been scanned by the UNB E-Text Centre. One can even view an image of the handwritten brief. You can also read more about Chipman and Street, here you will see that the split decision outcome of this case, led to a challenge being issued to one of the judges in the case, for a duel on the street, to which the judge declined; however, it seems that Street eagerly took up the offer on the Judge’s behalf. Unfortunately, not much more is known about Nancy Morton; however, this trial “…served as a catalyst in the fight against slavery in New Brunswick.”