Hallowed Heritage: The Life of VirginiaTorpey, Dorothy Margaret
History
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia
Torpey, Dorothy Margaret
Virginia -- Civilization
In 1682, tobacco had been grown so extensively in Virginia that
the price of tobacco on the London market had declined rapidly.
When the British government refused a request from the Virginia
colonists to either restrict tobacco acreage or order a temporary
cessation of its growth, tobacco riots occurred in Virginia. During
many nights, thousands of young tobacco plants throughout the colony
were destroyed. Finally, after the execution of six tobacco plant
cutters, the riots ceased. Eventually, the customs duty on tobacco
was increased tremendously, and taxes in Virginia were increased at
the same time.
In 1682, John Buckner established the first printing press in
Virginia at Jamestown. His printer was William Nuthead who published
several papers and two sheets of the acts of the Assembly of
November 1682, supposedly without a license. The Colonial Council
issued an order prohibiting anything from being printed until the
King had given his permission as there was strong opposition against
"the liberty of a press." Consequently, in December 1683, when King
Charles II prohibited all printing in Virginia, William Nuthead
moved his printing press to St. Mary's City, Maryland.
From 1691 to 1703, seven additional counties were formed in the
Virginia Colony: Norfolk County (created from Lower Norfolk which
had become extinct and named for Norfolk County in England which
is also located on the water), King and Queen County (created from
New Kent County and named for the joint rulers of England: King
William III, Prince of Orange, and Queen Mary), Princess Anne County
(created also from Lower Norfolk and named for Princess--later
Queen--Anne of England), Essex (created from the then extinct
Rappahannock County and named either for Essex County, England or
the Earl of Essex), Richmond (created also from the then extinct
Rappahannock County and either named for territory resemblance to
Richmond, Surry County, England or in honor of an English Earl
or Duke of Richmond), King William County (created from King and
Queen County and named for William of Orange, King of England),
and Prince George County (created from one of the original eight
shires--Charles City County--and was named for Prince George of
Denmark, Queen Anne's husband).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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