Berkeley Hundred
Encyclopedia
Berkeley Hundred in the Virginia Colony comprised about eight thousand acres (32 km²) on the north bank of the James River
near Herring Creek in an area then known as Charles Cittie
(sic). It was named for one of the original founders, Richard Berkeley, a member of the Berkeley family
of Gloucestershire
, England. In 1619, Berkeley Hundred was the site of America's first Thanksgiving Day. It later became known as Berkeley Plantation
, and was long the traditional home of the Harrison family, one of the First Families of Virginia
.
in 1618 of the Virginia Company of London to Sir William Throckmorton, Sir George Yeardley
, George Thorpe, Richard Berkeley, and John Smyth (1567–1641) of Nibley
. Smyth was also the historian of the Berkeley group, collecting over 60 documents relating to the settlement of Virginia between 1613 and 1634 which have survived to modern times.
In 1619, the ship Margaret of Bristol, England sailed for Virginia under Captain John Woodliffe and brought thirty-eight settlers to the new Town and Hundred of Berkeley. The proprietors instructed the settlers of "the day of our ships arrival . . . shall be yearly and perpetually kept as a day of Thanksgiving
." The Margaret landed her passengers at Berkeley Hundred on December 4, 1619. The settlers did indeed celebrate a day of "Thanksgiving", establishing the tradition a year and 17 days before the Pilgrims arrived aboard the Mayflower
at Plymouth, Massachusetts to establish their Thanksgiving Day in 1620.
When the Indian Massacre of 1622
took place on March 22, nine people were brutally slain at Berkeley during coordinated attacks at settlements along the James River. The massacre took a heavier toll elsewhere, killing about a third of all the colonists, and virtually wiping out Wolstenholme Towne
on Martin's Hundred
and Sir Thomas Dale
's progressive development and new college at Henricus
. Jamestown was spared through a timely warning and became the refuge for many survivors who abandoned outlying settlements. A myth about the March 22 date was that it occurred on Good Friday. This is incorrect.
For several years, thereafter, the plantation at Berkeley Hundred lay abandoned, until William Tucker and others got possession of it in 1636, and it became the property of John Bland, a merchant of London. By this time, the area had become part of Charles City Shire
in 1634, later renamed Charles City County
.
Giles Bland, son of John Bland, inherited it, but he was hanged by Governor Sir William Berkeley in 1676, after participating in the Bacon's Rebellion
. Confiscated by Governor Berkeley, the land was purchased in 1691 by Benjamin Harrison (III) (1673–1710), attorney general of the colony, treasurer and speaker of the House of Burgesses
. He died at age thirty-seven in 1710, leaving the property to his only son, Benjamin Harrison IV
.
The Berkeley Hundred was the next plantation down river from the Shirley Plantation
.
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
near Herring Creek in an area then known as Charles Cittie
Charles City (Virginia Company)
Charles City 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" , as they were called. These were Charles City, Elizabeth City, Henrico City, and...
(sic). It was named for one of the original founders, Richard Berkeley, a member of the Berkeley family
Berkeley family
The Berkeley family has an unbroken male line of descent from a Saxon ancestor before the Norman conquest of England in 1066 to the present day.-History:...
of Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England. In 1619, Berkeley Hundred was the site of America's first Thanksgiving Day. It later became known as Berkeley Plantation
Berkeley Plantation
Berkeley Plantation, one of the first great estates in America, comprises about on the banks of the James River on State Route 5 in Charles City County, Virginia. Berkeley Plantation was originally called Berkeley Hundred and named after one of its founders of the 1618 land grant, Richard Berkeley...
, and was long the traditional home of the Harrison family, one of the First Families of Virginia
First Families of Virginia
First Families of Virginia were those families in Colonial Virginia who were socially prominent and wealthy, but not necessarily the earliest settlers. They originated with colonists from England who primarily settled at Jamestown, Williamsburg, and along the James River and other navigable waters...
.
History
Berkeley Hundred was a land grantLand grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
in 1618 of the Virginia Company of London to Sir William Throckmorton, Sir George Yeardley
George Yeardley
Sir George Yeardley was a plantation owner and three time colonial Governor of the British Colony of Virginia. A survivor of the Virginia Company of London's ill-fated Third Supply Mission, whose flagship, the Sea Venture, was shipwrecked on Bermuda for 10 months in 1609-10, he is best remembered...
, George Thorpe, Richard Berkeley, and John Smyth (1567–1641) of Nibley
North Nibley
North Nibley is a village in Gloucestershire, England about 3 km northwest of Wotton-under-Edge. The village is commonly known as Nibley: the official name North Nibley distinguishes it from the village of Nibley, just outside Yate, about 10 miles away in South Gloucestershire...
. Smyth was also the historian of the Berkeley group, collecting over 60 documents relating to the settlement of Virginia between 1613 and 1634 which have survived to modern times.
In 1619, the ship Margaret of Bristol, England sailed for Virginia under Captain John Woodliffe and brought thirty-eight settlers to the new Town and Hundred of Berkeley. The proprietors instructed the settlers of "the day of our ships arrival . . . shall be yearly and perpetually kept as a day of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
." The Margaret landed her passengers at Berkeley Hundred on December 4, 1619. The settlers did indeed celebrate a day of "Thanksgiving", establishing the tradition a year and 17 days before the Pilgrims arrived aboard the Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
at Plymouth, Massachusetts to establish their Thanksgiving Day in 1620.
When the Indian Massacre of 1622
Indian massacre of 1622
The Indian Massacre of 1622 occurred in the Colony of Virginia, in what now belongs to the United States of America, on Friday, March 22, 1622...
took place on March 22, nine people were brutally slain at Berkeley during coordinated attacks at settlements along the James River. The massacre took a heavier toll elsewhere, killing about a third of all the colonists, and virtually wiping out Wolstenholme Towne
Wolstenholme Towne
Wolstenholme Towne was a fortified settlement in the Virginia Colony begun with a population of about 40 settlers of the Virginia Company of London which was located about 7 miles downstream from Jamestown. Named for Sir John Wolstenholme, one of the investors, it was established about 1618 on a...
on Martin's Hundred
Martin's Hundred
Martin's Hundred was an early 17th century plantation located along about ten miles of the north shore of the James River in the Virginia Colony east of Jamestown in the southeastern portion of present-day James City County, Virginia...
and Sir Thomas Dale
Thomas Dale
Sir Thomas Dale was an English naval commander and deputy-governor of the Virginia Colony in 1611 and from 1614 to 1616. Governor Dale is best remembered for the energy and the extreme rigour of his administration in Virginia, which established order and in various ways seems to have benefited the...
's progressive development and new college at Henricus
Henricus
The "Citie of Henricus" — also known as Henricopolis or Henrico Town or Henrico — was a settlement founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1611 as an alternative to the swampy and dangerous area around the original English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia...
. Jamestown was spared through a timely warning and became the refuge for many survivors who abandoned outlying settlements. A myth about the March 22 date was that it occurred on Good Friday. This is incorrect.
For several years, thereafter, the plantation at Berkeley Hundred lay abandoned, until William Tucker and others got possession of it in 1636, and it became the property of John Bland, a merchant of London. By this time, the area had become part of Charles City Shire
Charles City Shire
Charles City Shire was formed in 1634 in the Virginia colony. It was named for Charles I, the then King of England, and was renamed Charles City County in 1637.-History:...
in 1634, later renamed Charles City County
Charles City County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,926 people, 2,670 households, and 1,975 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile . There were 2,895 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...
.
Giles Bland, son of John Bland, inherited it, but he was hanged by Governor Sir William Berkeley in 1676, after participating in the Bacon's Rebellion
Bacon's Rebellion
Bacon's Rebellion was an uprising in 1676 in the Virginia Colony in North America, led by a 29-year-old planter, Nathaniel Bacon.About a thousand Virginians rose because they resented Virginia Governor William Berkeley's friendly policies towards the Native Americans...
. Confiscated by Governor Berkeley, the land was purchased in 1691 by Benjamin Harrison (III) (1673–1710), attorney general of the colony, treasurer and speaker of the House of Burgesses
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the first assembly of elected representatives of English colonists in North America. The House was established by the Virginia Company, who created the body as part of an effort to encourage English craftsmen to settle in North America...
. He died at age thirty-seven in 1710, leaving the property to his only son, Benjamin Harrison IV
Benjamin Harrison IV
Benjamin Harrison IV was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, the son of Benjamin Harrison III, and the father of Benjamin Harrison V, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the fifth Governor of Virginia...
.
The Berkeley Hundred was the next plantation down river from the Shirley Plantation
Shirley Plantation
Shirley Plantation is an estate located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. It is located on State Route 5, a scenic byway which runs between the independent cities of Richmond and Williamsburg...
.