OATH OF ALLEGIANCE Until 1775 foreigners arriving in America were required to take the following oath of allegiance to the crown of Great Britain. All males over sixteen years of age were obliged to take this oath and declaration as soon after their arrival as possible - usually being marched to the Court House for that purpose. This Oath was taken by several of our early ancestors upon their arrival in America. I do solemnly & sincerely promise & declare that I will be true & faithful to King George the Second and do solemnly, sincerely and truly Profess Testify and Declare, that I do from my Heart abhor, detest & renounce as impious & heretical that wicked Doctrine & Position that Princes Excommunicated or deprived by the Pope or any authority of the See of Rome may be deposed or murthered by their subjects or any other whatsoever. And I do declare that no foreign Prince, Person, Prelate, State, or potentate hath or ought to have any power, Jurisdiction, Superiority, Pre-eminence, or Authority, Ecclesiastical or Spiritual, within the Realm of Great Britain or the Dominions thereunto belonging. I do solemnly sincerely and truly acknowledge profess testify & declare that King George the Second is lawful & rightful King or the Realm of Great Britain & of all others his Dominions & Countries thereunto belonging, and I do solemnly & sincerely declare that I do believe the Person pretending to be Prince of Wales during the Life or the late King James, & since his Decease pretending to be taken upon himself the Stile and Title of King of England by the Name of James the Third, or of Scotland by the Name of James the Eighth or the Stile and title of King of Great Britain hath not any right or title whatsoever to the Crown of Great Britain, nor any other the Dominions thereunto belonging. And I do renounce & refuse any Allegiance or obedience to him & so solemnly promise, that I will be true and faithful, & bear true Allegiance to George the Second & to him will be faithful against all traitorous Conspiracies & attempts whatsoever which shall be made against his Person, Crown & Dignity, & I will do my best Endeavours to disclose & make known to King George the Second & his Successors all Treasons and traiterous Conspiracies which I shall know to be made against him or any of them. And I will be true and faithfull to the succession of the Crown against him the said James & all other Persons whatsoever as the same is & stands settled by An Act Entitled An Act declaring the Rights & Liberties of the Subject, & settling the Succession of the Crown to the late Queen Anne & the Heirs of her Body being Protestants, and as the same by one other Act Entitled An Act for the further Limitation of the Crown & better securing the Rights & Liberties of the Subject is & stands Settled & Entailed after the Decease of the said late Queen, & for Default of Issue of the said late Queen to the late Princess Sophia Electoress & Duchess Dowager at Hanover the Heirs of Her Body being Protestants and all these things I do plainly & sincerely acknowledge promise and declare, according to these express words by me spoken, & according to the plain & common sense and understanding of the same Words, without any Equivocation, mental Evasion or Secret Reservation whatsoever. And I do make this Recognition, Acknowledgement, Renunciation & Promise heartily willingly and truly. |