Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia — John Shaqi
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of VirginiaTorpey, Dorothy Margaret
History
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia
Torpey, Dorothy Margaret
Virginia -- Civilization
In the meantime, other counties had been formed in Virginia. An
area which had been settled originally in Upper Norfolk was named
Nansemond County in 1642. "Nansemond" is an Indian word meaning
"fishing point or angle." In 1648, the county of Northumberland was
formed from a large Indian district formerly known as Chickacoan
and it was named for Northumberland County, England. From this
large area, one hundred sixteen counties were later formed. Within
a twenty-five year period, seven additional counties were created:
Gloucester County (formed from York and named for the third son
of Charles I, Henry-Duke of Gloucester), New Kent County (formed
also from York and believed to have been named either for the
English Kent or for Kent Island), Lancaster County (from York and
Northumberland), Surry (from James City County), Westmoreland (from
Northumberland and later an addition from James City County),
Stafford (from Westmoreland) and Middlesex (from Lancaster)--the
latter five named in honor of English counties. The formation of
many new counties during this time illustrates the great increase in
population which took place.
When Charles II became King of England in 1660, Britain's colonial
policy changed. Previously, the colonies had been more or less
neglected, and interest in England had been chiefly centered upon
religion, intellectual achievement and local issues. After the
Civil War in England, the importance of the colonies seemed more
apparent, competition in setting up and controlling colonial empires
was greater and mercantilism became the key theory accepted by the
leading countries of Europe. Mercantilism was based upon the idea
that the colonies existed for the benefit of the mother country and
that they had specific obligations or responsibilities to fulfill,
namely: (1) to produce the articles which the mother country needs
and which are impossible for the mother country to produce; (2) to
supply the mother country with foodstuffs which she needs, (3) to
furnish a market for the mother country's manufactured goods, and
(4) to export colonial goods in mother country ships only. Earlier
in 1651, Parliament had passed a law prohibiting foreign vessels
from trading with the American colonists. This law had been aimed
primarily at the Dutch. It also stated that all products sent by the
American colonies to England or sent from one colony to another had
to be carried in either English or American ships. However, there
had not been strict enforcement of this law in Virginia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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