William Berkeley
Encyclopedia
Sir William Berkeley was a colonial governor of Virginia, and one of the Lords Proprietors of the Colony of Carolina; he was appointed to these posts by King Charles I of England
, of whom he was a favourite
.
was thought to descend from Norse corsairs that scourged the British Isles during the Viking Age.
Berkeley was born in 1605 to Sir Maurice and Elizabeth Killigrew Berkeley, both of whom held stock in the Virginia Company of London. Referred to as “Will” by his family and friends, was born in the winter of 1605 into landed gentry. His father died when he was twelve and, though indebted, left Berkeley land in Somerset. His elder brother was John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton
.
Young Berkeley showed signs of a quick wit and broad learning. His informal education consisted of observing his elders; from them he learned “the moves that governed the larger English society and his privileged place in it.” Also, as part of the English country gentry, he was aware of agricultural practices, knowledge which would influence his actions as governor of Virginia.
Though his father died in debt, Berkeley secured a proper education. He entered grammar school at about six or seven years old where he became literate in Latin
and English. At eighteen, like the other Berkeley men, he entered Oxford. He began his studies at Queen’s College
in the footsteps of his forebears, but quickly transferred to St. Edmund Hall
, a “throwback to medieval times”. He received, though not necessarily completed, a B.A. in fifteen months of his arrival at the Hall.
All undergraduates at St. Edmund Hall received a personal tutor. While the identity of Berkeley’s tutor is unsure, his effect upon the boy showed through William’s “disciplined intellect and steady appetite for knowledge”.
In 1632, he gained a place in the household of Charles I. That position gave him entré into a court literary circle known as "The Wits". Berkeley wrote several plays, one of which—The Lost Lady: A Tragy Comedy—was performed for Charles I and Henrietta Maria and was published in 1638. It is also included in the first and fourth editions of Dodsley's "Old Plays," and "A Description of Virginia" (1663).
He was governor of the colony of Virginia from 1641–1652 and 1660–1677. As proprietor of Green Spring Plantation
in James City County
, he experimented with activities such as growing silkworms as part of his efforts to expand the tobacco-based economy.
Berkeley enacted friendly policies toward the Native Americans that led to the revolt by some of the planters in 1676 which became known as Bacon's Rebellion
. In the aftermath, King Charles II
was angered by the retribution exacted against the rebels by Berkeley, and recalled him to England.
Soldiering in the First and Second Bishops' Wars
(1639–1640) gained Berkeley a knighthood.
as Governor of Virginia in 1641.
Arriving at Jamestown in 1642, Berkeley erected Green Spring House on a tract of land west of the capital, where he experimented with alternatives to tobacco. It was at Green Spring that he planted such diverse crops as “corn, wheat, barley, rye, rape, tobacco, oranges, lemons, grapes, sugar and silk. Berkeley devoted much of his time as a planter to experimenting with alternatives to tobacco; although he always produced the crop, he “despised” it.
Berkeley produced flax, fruits, potash, rice, silk, and spirits which he exported through a commercial network that joined Green Spring to markets in North America, the West Indies, Great Britain, and Holland.
As a planter, with Virginia in mind, Berkeley constantly attempted to determine the best crops for the state through trial and error.
Berkeley was “bitterly hostile” to Virginia’s Puritans and Quakers
. In an attempt to oppress them, Berkeley helped enact a law to “preserve the Established Church’s [The Church of England] Unity and purity of doctrine.” It punished any minister who preached outside the teachings and doctrine of this church, thus oppressing Puritans, Quakers, and any other religious minority
Berkeley strongly opposed public education. Though he was unable to foresee the eventual establishment of such schools, he held that they would bring “disobedience, heresy, and sects into the world,” and were for such reasons destructive to society. He also held printing at the same level as public education.
. At his return, Berkeley appealed to England for financial support of Virginia’s economy. Charles II denied Berkeley’s appeal “in favour of free trade.”
In 1675, Berkeley appointed Nathaniel Bacon, his wife's nephew, to Virginian high office. This was uncharacteristic of Berkeley, and may have shown signs of withering competence as governor.
Slow to act to Indian attacks, Berkeley was viewed as incompetent, making his authority easy to undermine. Disagreements over Indian policy led Bacon to rebel against Berkeley. Bacon accepted command of an illegal troop of Indian fighters and disregarded the governor's warning against leading the volunteers. “He declared Bacon a rebel, dissolved the General Assembly, and promised to remedy any complaints the voters had with him.”
Bacon unexpectedly led five hundred armed men into Jamestown and compelled the frightened legislators to appoint him general before he marched away in search of the Indians. His extortion of a general's commission turned a dispute over Indian policy into a duel to the death over who would control Virginia-Bacon or Berkeley.
“Berkeley defeated Bacon's invaders, which enabled him to return to the western shore and to retake his capital. Once reports of the revolt reached London, the crown sent 1,000 redcoats, ships, and a commission to crush Bacon. There was nothing for the troops to do because Berkeley had regained the upper hand. The rebellion ended before they arrived in January 1677. The Treaty of Middle Plantation, the formal peace treaty between the Indians and the colonists, was signed on 29 May 1677, after Berkeley returned to England.”
Berkeley died in Berkeley House, Mayfair
, London on 9 July 1677, and he was “buried half a world away from the place that had become his home.”
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, of whom he was a favourite
Favourite
A favourite , or favorite , was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In medieval and Early Modern Europe, among other times and places, the term is used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler...
.
Biography
The Berkeley lineageBerkeley 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:...
was thought to descend from Norse corsairs that scourged the British Isles during the Viking Age.
Berkeley was born in 1605 to Sir Maurice and Elizabeth Killigrew Berkeley, both of whom held stock in the Virginia Company of London. Referred to as “Will” by his family and friends, was born in the winter of 1605 into landed gentry. His father died when he was twelve and, though indebted, left Berkeley land in Somerset. His elder brother was John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton
John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton
John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton was an English royalist soldier. From 1648 he was closely associated with James, Duke of York, and rose to prominence, fortune and fame.-First English Civil War:...
.
Young Berkeley showed signs of a quick wit and broad learning. His informal education consisted of observing his elders; from them he learned “the moves that governed the larger English society and his privileged place in it.” Also, as part of the English country gentry, he was aware of agricultural practices, knowledge which would influence his actions as governor of Virginia.
Though his father died in debt, Berkeley secured a proper education. He entered grammar school at about six or seven years old where he became literate in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and English. At eighteen, like the other Berkeley men, he entered Oxford. He began his studies at Queen’s College
The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, founded 1341, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Queen's is centrally situated on the High Street, and is renowned for its 18th-century architecture...
in the footsteps of his forebears, but quickly transferred to St. Edmund Hall
St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...
, a “throwback to medieval times”. He received, though not necessarily completed, a B.A. in fifteen months of his arrival at the Hall.
All undergraduates at St. Edmund Hall received a personal tutor. While the identity of Berkeley’s tutor is unsure, his effect upon the boy showed through William’s “disciplined intellect and steady appetite for knowledge”.
In 1632, he gained a place in the household of Charles I. That position gave him entré into a court literary circle known as "The Wits". Berkeley wrote several plays, one of which—The Lost Lady: A Tragy Comedy—was performed for Charles I and Henrietta Maria and was published in 1638. It is also included in the first and fourth editions of Dodsley's "Old Plays," and "A Description of Virginia" (1663).
He was governor of the colony of Virginia from 1641–1652 and 1660–1677. As proprietor of Green Spring Plantation
Green Spring Plantation
Green Spring Plantation in James City County about five miles west of Williamsburg, was the 17th century plantation of one of the more popular governors of Colonial Virginia in North America, Sir William Berkeley, and his second wife....
in James City County
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...
, he experimented with activities such as growing silkworms as part of his efforts to expand the tobacco-based economy.
Berkeley enacted friendly policies toward the Native Americans that led to the revolt by some of the planters in 1676 which became known as 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...
. In the aftermath, King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
was angered by the retribution exacted against the rebels by Berkeley, and recalled him to England.
Soldiering in the First and Second Bishops' Wars
Bishops' Wars
The Bishops' Wars , were conflicts, both political and military, which occurred in 1639 and 1640 centred around the nature of the governance of the Church of Scotland, and the rights and powers of the Crown...
(1639–1640) gained Berkeley a knighthood.
Governorship
Berkeley replaced Sir Francis WyattFrancis Wyatt
Sir Francis Wyatt was the first English royal governor of Virginia. He sailed for America on August 1, 1621 on board the George. He became governor shortly after his arrival in October, taking with him the first written constitution for an English colony...
as Governor of Virginia in 1641.
Contributions as a planter
Berkeley’s main initiative when he first became governor was to encourage diversification of Virginia’s agricultural products. He accomplished this through passing laws and by setting himself up as an example for plantersArriving at Jamestown in 1642, Berkeley erected Green Spring House on a tract of land west of the capital, where he experimented with alternatives to tobacco. It was at Green Spring that he planted such diverse crops as “corn, wheat, barley, rye, rape, tobacco, oranges, lemons, grapes, sugar and silk. Berkeley devoted much of his time as a planter to experimenting with alternatives to tobacco; although he always produced the crop, he “despised” it.
Berkeley produced flax, fruits, potash, rice, silk, and spirits which he exported through a commercial network that joined Green Spring to markets in North America, the West Indies, Great Britain, and Holland.
As a planter, with Virginia in mind, Berkeley constantly attempted to determine the best crops for the state through trial and error.
Political thought
For Berkeley, the path towards Virginia’s prosperity was fourfold: a diverse economy; free trade; a close-knit colonial society; and autonomy from London. He proceeded to turn this thought into action in various ways. In order to support a diversified economy and free trade, for instance, he used his own plantation as an example. Virginia’s autonomy from London was supported in the General Assembly’s role in the colony’s governance. The Assembly was, in effect, a “miniature Parliament.” The colony’s autonomy from London was also advocated by Berkeley in his efforts against the revival of the Virginia Company of London.Berkeley was “bitterly hostile” to Virginia’s Puritans and Quakers
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
. In an attempt to oppress them, Berkeley helped enact a law to “preserve the Established Church’s [The Church of England] Unity and purity of doctrine.” It punished any minister who preached outside the teachings and doctrine of this church, thus oppressing Puritans, Quakers, and any other religious minority
Berkeley strongly opposed public education. Though he was unable to foresee the eventual establishment of such schools, he held that they would bring “disobedience, heresy, and sects into the world,” and were for such reasons destructive to society. He also held printing at the same level as public education.
Downfall
Berkeley’s downfall came with the advent of his second term. He returned from retirement in 1660 due to the early death of Governor Samuel MathewsSamuel Mathews (Governor)
Samuel Mathews , of Warwick County in the British Colony of Virginia, was a member of the House of Burgesses, the Governor's Council, and served as Royal Governor of Virginia from 1656 to 1660.-Biography:...
. At his return, Berkeley appealed to England for financial support of Virginia’s economy. Charles II denied Berkeley’s appeal “in favour of free trade.”
In 1675, Berkeley appointed Nathaniel Bacon, his wife's nephew, to Virginian high office. This was uncharacteristic of Berkeley, and may have shown signs of withering competence as governor.
Slow to act to Indian attacks, Berkeley was viewed as incompetent, making his authority easy to undermine. Disagreements over Indian policy led Bacon to rebel against Berkeley. Bacon accepted command of an illegal troop of Indian fighters and disregarded the governor's warning against leading the volunteers. “He declared Bacon a rebel, dissolved the General Assembly, and promised to remedy any complaints the voters had with him.”
Bacon unexpectedly led five hundred armed men into Jamestown and compelled the frightened legislators to appoint him general before he marched away in search of the Indians. His extortion of a general's commission turned a dispute over Indian policy into a duel to the death over who would control Virginia-Bacon or Berkeley.
“Berkeley defeated Bacon's invaders, which enabled him to return to the western shore and to retake his capital. Once reports of the revolt reached London, the crown sent 1,000 redcoats, ships, and a commission to crush Bacon. There was nothing for the troops to do because Berkeley had regained the upper hand. The rebellion ended before they arrived in January 1677. The Treaty of Middle Plantation, the formal peace treaty between the Indians and the colonists, was signed on 29 May 1677, after Berkeley returned to England.”
Berkeley died in Berkeley House, Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, London on 9 July 1677, and he was “buried half a world away from the place that had become his home.”
Further reading
- Hitchens, Harold Lee. "Sir William Berkeley, Virginian Economist." The William and Mary Quarterly 2nd ser. 18 (1938): 158-73. JSTOR. Sojourner Truth, New Paltz. 23 Mar. 2009
- Sydenstricker, Edgar, and Ammen Lewis Burger. School History of Virginia. Lynchburg: Dulaney-Boatwright, 1914.
- Biography in John T. Kneebone et al., eds., Dictionary of Virginia Biography (Richmond: The Library of Virginia, 1998– ), 1:454–458. ISBN 0-88490-189-0
External links
- Discourse and View of Virginia as written by Sir William Berkeley (electronic edition)
- National Park Service, Green Spring web page
- Friends of Green Spring a large interactive web site with streaming video and more than a dozen essays ("The voices of Green Spring")
- Friends of the National Park Service for Green Spring Plantation
- Library of Virginia, William Berkeley web page
- http://www.virtualjamestown.org/essays/billings_essay.html