Because Denny Fairfax was a British subject residing in England, he had no legal rights under American jurisdiction; thus, he and his British relatives were considered "alien enemies" and his landholdings were confiscated under escheat laws. In 1785, the Virginia General Assembly ordered that all records, books, and documents pertaining to the proprietary's lands be confiscated by the state of Virginia and removed to the Virginia State Land Registrar's Office in Richmond. Virginia seized the remaining proprietary lands that had not yet been granted, and citizens that had already acquired grants from the proprietary were permitted to keep their land. Land values in the Northern Neck continued to increase in value, which Martin noted in a 1790 letter. The higher land prices caused many residents of the proprietary to sell their lands and relocate further into the frontier, which Martin commented: "The emigration of inhabitants is... astonishing."