Scope and Content: The Council (under the governor except 1775-1780) functioned as the executive counterpart of the upper house of the General Court under the colonial charter, 1629-1686; as the executive (sole) government, 1686-1689; and both as upper house of the General Court and executive body under the revival of colonial government, 1689-1692, under the provincial charter, 1692-1774, and in the later Revolutionary period, 1775-1780.  (There was a rival Council appointed by the English Crown under Gov. Thomas Gage, 1774-1776.)  Under the 1780 Constitution it is an advisory executive body to the governor separate from the General Court.  Legislative records (formerly known as: Court records) document the Council’s legislative function as General Court upper house during the intercharter (1689-1692 only), provincial, and Revolutionary periods.  (For the Constitutional period see below.)
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically by date of General Court session
Notes: Records in general are transcripts, some from British State Paper Office made in the 1840s (see finding aid below).  To 1776 many draft originals are in: Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State. Massachusetts archives collection ((M-Ar)45X), v. 81-86. (For details see finding aid below.  Vol. 70, p. 157-158 includes draft minutes of the Council for Safety of the People and Conservation of the Peace, May 11, 1689.  Additional Massachusetts archives collection holdings not yet determined.)  From Oct. 1780 source document is: Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State. Senate journal ((M-Ar)531)
Related Catalog Records:

Archivegrid
OCLC