Martin's Hundred
Encyclopedia
Martin's Hundred was an early 17th century plantation located along about ten miles (16 km) 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
. The Martin's Hundred site is described in detail in the eponymous book of Ivor Noel Hume
first published in 1979.
of London. The Society of Martin's Hundred, named for Richard Martin
, recorder of the City of London, its owner (not to be confused with his near-contemporary Richard Martin
who was the father of Jamestown councilor John Martin
). Sir John Wolstenholme
was among its investors. The administrative center of Martin's Hundred (hundred
defined a subdivision of an English county) was Wolstenholme Towne
, a fortified settlement of rough cabins.
Like all of the land the English claimed along the river, the plantation's 21500 acres (87 km²) had been part of the domain of the Powhatan
s, an association of Native American Tidewater tribes formed at the end of the 16th century by the Indian chief Powhatan. On March 22, 1622, the Powhatans rose to kill as many English as they could surprise in their homes and fields. From near modern Richmond to Newport News, the Powhatans burned and looted dwellings and desecrated corpses. Death counts vary, but about 400 English died. Martin's Hundred, the plantation hardest hit, lost more than 50, perhaps as many as 70. Wolstenholme Towne's death toll was not separated in the death rolls.
The Indian Massacre of 1622
nearly accomplished its purpose. The English withdrew from their scattered settlements to the safety of Jamestown. Wolstenholme Towne was resettled a year or more later but abandoned sometime after 1645.
Foundation, which operates the many restored colonial-period capital city attractions in Williamsburg
.
from a later period were partially restored to represent their respective periods during the almost 400 year history of the property, greatly adding to the attraction's features for tourists.
However, the main house at Carter's Grove is furnished as it was in 1928, and therefore, while of increasing historic value, does not fit well into the earlier time eras which are the main focus of Colonial Williamsburg presentations.
During a period of declining attendance at Colonial Williamsburg attractions, the foundation determined the substantial distance from the main restored area (7 miles) to be an additional contributing factor to the need to reevaluate its role. On January 2, 2003 the site was closed to the public to save operating funds. Closer to the downtown Williamsburg area, Colonial Williamsburg
now operates the Great Hopes Plantation interpretive site which can easily be reached by the pedestrian traffic from the restored area, and continues the story of the lives of the slaves who played a vital role in building Colonial Virginia.
A future role of Carter's Grove as an attraction had not yet been determined as of October, 2006. Certain support functions of Colonial Williamsburg continue to operate on the Carter's Grove property, however, and the property is secured and maintained, even though not open to the public.
In early 2008 archaeologists from Colonial Williamsburg finished surveying and testing various areas across Carter's Grove. Colonial Williamsburg sold the Carter's Grove plantation, Martin's Hundred, and the museum to a private individual whose use of the property remains unknown. Colonial Williamsburg archival staff are still allowed within the museum since some artifacts still reside there and must be preserved.
Carter's Grove Country Road, a narrow but paved bucolic link to the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg
was damaged during Hurricane Isabel
in late 2003, and has been closed to traffic since then.
A substantial portion of Martin's Hundred land is now occupied by the community of Grove
along U.S. Route 60 east of the Busch Gardens Europe
theme park.
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...
in the Virginia Colony east of Jamestown
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
in the southeastern portion of present-day James City County, Virginia
James City County, Virginia
James City County is a county located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. Its population was 67,009 , and it is often associated with Williamsburg, an independent city, and Jamestown which is within the...
. The Martin's Hundred site is described in detail in the eponymous book of Ivor Noel Hume
Ivor Noel Hume
Ivor Noël Hume is a British-born archaeologist and author, heralded by his peers as the "father" of Historical Archaeology. He studied at Farmingham College and St...
first published in 1979.
History
Martin's Hundred was one of the subsidiary "particular plantation" of the joint-stock Virginia CompanyVirginia Company
The Virginia Company refers collectively to a pair of English joint stock companies chartered by James I on 10 April1606 with the purposes of establishing settlements on the coast of North America...
of London. The Society of Martin's Hundred, named for Richard Martin
Richard Martin (Recorder of London)
Richard Martin was an English lawyer, orator, and supporter of the Virginia Company who was appointed Recorder of the City of London at the recommendation of James I of England in 1618 but died shortly thereafter.-Lawyer and tavern wit:...
, recorder of the City of London, its owner (not to be confused with his near-contemporary Richard Martin
Richard Martin (Lord Mayor of London)
Sir Richard Martin was an English goldsmith and Master of the Mint who served as Sheriff and twice as Lord Mayor of the City of London during the reign of Elizabeth I.-Early career:...
who was the father of Jamestown councilor John Martin
John Martin (Jamestown)
Capt. John Martin was a Councilman of the Jamestown Colony in 1607. He was the proprietor of Martin's Brandon Plantation on the south bank of the James River...
). Sir John Wolstenholme
Sir John Wolstenholme, 1st Baronet
Sir John Wolstenholme, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640. He supported the Royalist side in the English Civil War.Wolstenholme was the son of Sir John Wolstenholme and his wife Catherine Fanshaw...
was among its investors. The administrative center of Martin's Hundred (hundred
Hundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
defined a subdivision of an English county) was 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...
, a fortified settlement of rough cabins.
Like all of the land the English claimed along the river, the plantation's 21500 acres (87 km²) had been part of the domain of the Powhatan
Powhatan
The Powhatan is the name of a Virginia Indian confederation of tribes. It is estimated that there were about 14,000–21,000 of these native Powhatan people in eastern Virginia when the English settled Jamestown in 1607...
s, an association of Native American Tidewater tribes formed at the end of the 16th century by the Indian chief Powhatan. On March 22, 1622, the Powhatans rose to kill as many English as they could surprise in their homes and fields. From near modern Richmond to Newport News, the Powhatans burned and looted dwellings and desecrated corpses. Death counts vary, but about 400 English died. Martin's Hundred, the plantation hardest hit, lost more than 50, perhaps as many as 70. Wolstenholme Towne's death toll was not separated in the death rolls.
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...
nearly accomplished its purpose. The English withdrew from their scattered settlements to the safety of Jamestown. Wolstenholme Towne was resettled a year or more later but abandoned sometime after 1645.
Carter's Grove Plantation
It may be that no trace of the town was apparent by the time planter Robert "King" Carter bought the land about 1709, and it later became Carter's Grove Plantation, and went through hundreds of years of multiple owners and generations of families. Finally, in 1964, it was acquired by the Colonial WilliamsburgColonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...
Foundation, which operates the many restored colonial-period capital city attractions in Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
.
Colonial Williamsburg
What remained of Wolstenholme Towne and its dead lay forgotten beneath the plantation's fields and woodlands until 1976, when archaeologists discovered the site. It and interpretive slave quartersSlavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
from a later period were partially restored to represent their respective periods during the almost 400 year history of the property, greatly adding to the attraction's features for tourists.
However, the main house at Carter's Grove is furnished as it was in 1928, and therefore, while of increasing historic value, does not fit well into the earlier time eras which are the main focus of Colonial Williamsburg presentations.
During a period of declining attendance at Colonial Williamsburg attractions, the foundation determined the substantial distance from the main restored area (7 miles) to be an additional contributing factor to the need to reevaluate its role. On January 2, 2003 the site was closed to the public to save operating funds. Closer to the downtown Williamsburg area, Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...
now operates the Great Hopes Plantation interpretive site which can easily be reached by the pedestrian traffic from the restored area, and continues the story of the lives of the slaves who played a vital role in building Colonial Virginia.
A future role of Carter's Grove as an attraction had not yet been determined as of October, 2006. Certain support functions of Colonial Williamsburg continue to operate on the Carter's Grove property, however, and the property is secured and maintained, even though not open to the public.
In early 2008 archaeologists from Colonial Williamsburg finished surveying and testing various areas across Carter's Grove. Colonial Williamsburg sold the Carter's Grove plantation, Martin's Hundred, and the museum to a private individual whose use of the property remains unknown. Colonial Williamsburg archival staff are still allowed within the museum since some artifacts still reside there and must be preserved.
Carter's Grove Country Road, a narrow but paved bucolic link to the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...
was damaged during Hurricane Isabel
Hurricane Isabel
Hurricane Isabel was the costliest and deadliest hurricane in the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. The ninth named storm, fifth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season, Isabel formed near the Cape Verde Islands from a tropical wave on September 6 in the tropical Atlantic Ocean...
in late 2003, and has been closed to traffic since then.
A substantial portion of Martin's Hundred land is now occupied by the community of Grove
Grove, Virginia
Grove is an unincorporated community in the southeastern portion of James City County in the Peninsula subregion of Virginia in the United States. It is located in the center of the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia, communities linked by the Colonial Parkway; the area is one of the busiest...
along U.S. Route 60 east of the Busch Gardens Europe
Busch Gardens Europe
Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a 383 acre theme park located in James City County, Virginia about 3 miles southeast of Williamsburg, originally developed by Anheuser-Busch and currently owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a division of The Blackstone Group...
theme park.