James City (Virginia Company)

Last updated

James City (or James Cittie as it was then called) was one of four incorporations established in the Virginia Colony in 1619 by the proprietor, the Virginia Company. The plantations and developments were divided into four "incorporations" or "citties"[ sic ], as they were called. These were Charles City, Elizabeth City, Henrico City, and James City. [1] James City included the seat of government for the colony at Jamestown. Each of the four "citties"[ sic ] extended across the James River, the main conduit of transportation of the era.

Contents

In 1634, under Royal authority, a portion became James City Shire, later the County of James City (aka James City County). James City was established in 1619, along with 3 more. In 1634, it was abolished in favor of more counties. April 1623, the Privy Council appointed the proposal and commissioned a compromise. During the re-establishment, the Crown took over the company through a new charter similar to the one of 1606. The company refused this charter, causing the crown to issue a writ of quo warrant for annulment of the charter, ending the Virginia Company in May, 1624. [2]

Early events

In December, 1609, a fleet commanded by Gates set out from Plymouth, England, carrying 500 settlers, food, arms, and equipment to Jamestown, only to meet huge disaster. The ship hit a reef, causing damage and scattering the survivors. On May 16, 1610, they built James Fort, later renamed as Jamestown Colony. This became the first permanent English American settlement. [3]

James City's survival  was profoundly influential to America future as it allowed Virginia to emerge as the richest and most populous of the British mainland colonies with the first English language, law, institution, and  Protestant Church. It blossomed into a vibrant political culture in Jamestown in 1619, even compared to other British colonies which led in time to new republican ideals which found their fulfillment in the foundation of United States. [3]

Starving Time

The Starving Time was an event that took place during years 1606–1610. It resulted from shortages of food, fractured leadership, and a siege by Powhatan Indian warriors. The colonists struggled to maintain enough food to sustain themselves, putting them in dire need. Relations were strained with the Virginia Indian tribes, their most likely trading partners, and those relations worsened. The severe famine affected the entire region. [4]

Early Indian conflict

Conflict between the colony and the Powhatan Indians lead to bloodshed, increasing the mortality rate due to disease and starvation. [5] The Powhatans launched a mass attack on Jamestown. During the conflict, Pocahontas was kidnapped and made an uneasy truce with her father which brought short peace between the tribe and settlers. However, after Pocahontas' death, new tensions began to rise between the colony and Indians. This conflict grew worse after her father died shortly after Pocahontas death. Her father's death caused the downward spiral of Indian-English relations that led to the uprising of March, 1622. [6]

Massacre event

March 1622, the local tribes launched a major attack, massacring nearly 350 settlers by the time it was done. During the great massacre, the company went bankrupt, while Sandy's unpopularity prompted a royal investigation. This event combined with the subsequent high death rate in 1622–1623, caused it to lose its rule and ended the company. [2]

Trades

James City was a modest farm area with multiple small plantations containing 250 acres of land. The chief crop was tobacco which remained the cornerstone of Virginia economy for 200 years. [7] James City, itself, sold 60,000 pounds of tobacco to England by 1622. During the early 1620s, tobacco sold for approximately £200-£1,000 for single crops. [2] After Bacon's Rebellion, the demand for more workers was required, so Jamestown brought over Africans from Africa to be sold for labor. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamestown, Virginia</span> Fort and town established in the Virginia Colony

The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James River, about 2.5 mi (4 km) southwest of present-day Williamsburg. It was established by the London Company as "James Fort" on May 4, 1607 O.S., and considered permanent, after brief abandonment in 1610. It followed failed attempts, including the Roanoke Colony, established in 1585. Despite the dispatch of more supplies, only 60 of the original 214 settlers survived the 1609–1610 Starving Time. In mid-1610, the survivors abandoned Jamestown, though they returned after meeting a resupply convoy in the James River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colony of Virginia</span> British colony in North America (1606–1776)

The Colony of Virginia was a British, colonial settlement in North America between 1606 and 1776.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Company</span> Division of the Virginia Company

The London Company, officially known as the Virginia Company of London, was a division of the Virginia Company with responsibility for colonizing the east coast of North America between latitudes 34° and 41° N.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Rolfe</span> English-born explorer, farmer, and merchant

John Rolfe was an English explorer, farmer and merchant. He is best known for being the husband of Pocahontas and the first settler in the colony of Virginia to successfully cultivate a tobacco crop for export.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opechancanough</span> Powhatan Confederacy chief

Opechancanough was paramount chief of the Powhatan Confederacy in present-day Virginia from 1618 until his death. He had been a leader in the confederacy formed by his older brother Powhatan, from whom he inherited the paramountcy.

Sir George Yeardley was a planter and colonial governor of the colony of Virginia. He was also among the first slaveowners in Colonial America. A survivor of the Virginia Company of London's ill-fated 1609 Third Supply Mission, whose flagship, the Sea Venture, was shipwrecked on Bermuda for ten months, he is best remembered for presiding over the initial session of the first representative legislative body in Virginia in 1619. With representatives from throughout the settled portion of the colony, the group became known as the House of Burgesses. Burgesses have met continuously since, and is known in modern times as the Virginia General Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powhatan (Native American leader)</span> Leader of the Powhatan

Powhatan, whose proper name was Wahunsenacawh, was the leader of the Powhatan, an alliance of Algonquian-speaking Native Americans living in Tsenacommacah, in the Tidewater region of Virginia at the time when English settlers landed at Jamestown in 1607.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paspahegh</span> Historic Native American tribe

The Paspahegh tribe was a Native American tributary to the Powhatan paramount chiefdom, incorporated into the chiefdom around 1596 or 1597. The Paspahegh Indian tribe lived in present-day Charles City and James City counties, Virginia. The Powhatan Confederacy included Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands who spoke a related Eastern Algonquian languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henricus</span> Archaeological site in Virginia, United States

The "Citie of Henricus"—also known as Henricopolis, Henrico Town or Henrico—was a settlement in Virginia founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1611 as an alternative to the swampy and dangerous area around the original English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. It was named for Henry, Prince of Wales (1594–1612), the eldest son of King James I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Gates (governor)</span> 16th/17th-century Governor of Jamestown, in the English colony of Virginia

Sir Thomas Gates was the governor of Jamestown in the English Colony of Virginia. His predecessor, George Percy, through inept leadership, was responsible for the lives lost during the period called the Starving Time. The English-born Gates arrived to find a few surviving starving colonists commanded by Percy, and assumed command. Gates ruled with deputy governor Sir Thomas Dale. Their controlled, strict methods helped the early colonies survive. Sir Thomas was knighted in 1596 by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex for gallantry at the Capture of Cadiz. His knighthood was later royally confirmed by Queen Elizabeth I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian massacre of 1622</span> Powhatan attack on the English colony of Virginia

The Indian massacre of 1622 took place in the English colony of Virginia on 1 April [O.S. 22 March] 1622. English explorer John Smith, though he was not an eyewitness, wrote in his History of Virginia that warriors of the Powhatan "came unarmed into our houses with deer, turkeys, fish, fruits, and other provisions to sell us"; they then grabbed any tools or weapons available and killed all English settlers they found, including men, women, and children of all ages. Opechancanough, chief of the Powhatan Confederacy, led a coordinated series of surprise attacks that ended up killing a total of 347 people — a quarter of the population of the Colony of Virginia.

Elizabeth City was one of four incorporations established in the Virginia Colony in 1619 by the proprietor, the Virginia Company of London, acting in accordance with instructions issued by Sir George Yeardley, Governor. This allowed the crown to benefit from the offerings of the new land, including its natural resources, new markets for English goods, and the leverage it provided against the Spanish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Henrico (Virginia Company)</span>

The City of Henrico is one of the oldest counties in the Colony of Virginia. It was one of four incorporations established in the colony by its proprietor, the Virginia Company. The City of Henrico, which included the settlement of Henricus, was the furthest incorporation upstream on the James River. In 1634, Henrico was reorganized under royal authority as the shire of Henrico, one of eight shires in the Crown Colony of Virginia, Later, it became known as Henrico County, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglo-Powhatan Wars</span> 17th-century conflicts between Virginia colonists and Algonquian Indians

The Anglo–Powhatan Wars were three wars fought between settlers of the Colony of Virginia and the Powhatan People of Tsenacommacah in the early 17th century. The first war started in 1609 and ended in a peace settlement in 1614. The second war lasted from 1622 to 1632. The third war lasted from 1644 until 1646 and ended when Opechancanough was captured and killed. That war resulted in a defined boundary between the Indians and colonial lands that could only be crossed for official business with a special pass. This situation lasted until 1677 and the Treaty of Middle Plantation which established Indian reservations following Bacon's Rebellion.

The Starving Time at Jamestown in the Colony of Virginia was a period of starvation during the winter of 1609–1610. There were about 500 Jamestown residents at the beginning of the winter; by spring only 61 people remained alive.

Henry Spelman (1595–1623) was an English adventurer, soldier, and author, the son of Erasmus Spelman and nephew to Sir Henry Spelman of Congham (1562–1641). The younger Henry Spelman was born in 1595 and left his home in Norfolk, England at age 14 to sail to Virginia Colony aboard the ship Unity, as a part of the Third Supply to the Jamestown Colony in 1609. He is remembered for being an early interpreter for the people of Jamestown as well as writing the Relation of Virginia, documenting the first permanent English colonial settlement in North America at Jamestown, Virginia, and particularly the lifestyles of the Native Americans of the Powhatan Confederacy led by Chief Powhatan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Jamestown, Virginia (1607–1699)</span>

Jamestown, also Jamestowne, was the first settlement of the Virginia Colony, founded in 1607, and served as the capital of Virginia until 1699, when the seat of government was moved to Williamsburg. This article covers the history of the fort and town at Jamestown proper, as well as colony-wide trends resulting from and affecting the town during the time period in which it was the colonial capital of Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Hamor</span> British-American colonist and settler

Captain Ralph Hamor, Jr. was one of the original colonists to settle in Virginia, and author of A True Discourse of the Present State of Virginia, which he wrote upon returning to London in 1615.

William Tucker settled in Jamestown of the Colony of Virginia in the early 17th century. He was a military commander. In May 1623, he offered a toast in a meeting with members of the Powhatan tribe. The wine that they had been given was a poisonous cocktail prepared by Dr. John Potts. It killed 200 Native Americans and another 50 were slain. He owned land with his brothers-in-law and was a member of the House of Burgesses, a commission of the peace, and was appointed to the Council.

This is a timeline of events related to the settlement of Jamestown, in what today is the U.S. state of Virginia. Dates use the Old Style calendar.

References

  1. "How Counties Got Started in Virginia". virginiaplaces.org. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Macpherson, Heidi Slettedahl; Kaufman, Will (October 2005). "The State of (Dis)Union: American Studies in Britain". Prospects. 30: 27–43. doi:10.1017/s0361233300001964. ISSN   0361-2333.
  3. 1 2 Donnelly, Ralph W. (1959). "The Confederate Lead Mines of Wythe County, Va". Civil War History. 5 (4): 402–414. doi:10.1353/cwh.1959.0019. ISSN   1533-6271.
  4. "Starving", How Food Made History, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. 215–236, 2011-10-05, doi:10.1002/9781444344677.ch10, ISBN   9781444344677
  5. Deal, D. (2006-09-01). "A Land as God Made It: Jamestown and the Birth of America". Journal of American History. 93 (2): 493–494. doi:10.2307/4486246. ISSN   0021-8723. JSTOR   4486246.
  6. The Facts on File encyclopedia of word and phrase origins. 2004-09-01.
  7. Mancall, Peter C. (December 2007). "Savagery in Jamestown:"George Percy's 'Trewe Relacyon'": A Primary Source for the Jamestown Settlement";A New World: England's First View of America;Writings, with Other Narratives of Roanoke, Jamestown, and the First English Settlement of America;The Journals of Captain John Smith: A Jamestown Biography". Huntington Library Quarterly. 70 (4): 661–670. doi:10.1525/hlq.2007.70.4.661. ISSN   0018-7895.
  8. Cotter, John L. (March 1957). "Excavations at Jamestown, Virginia. Site of the First Permanent English Settlement in America". Antiquity. 31 (121): 19–24. doi:10.1017/s0003598x00027022. ISSN   0003-598X. S2CID   164132527.