History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of VirginiaCampbell, Charles
History
History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia
Campbell, Charles
Virginia -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775; Virginia -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783
charming Bermuda, the "Virginia Merchant" sailing for Virginia, struck
upon a breaker early in November, near the stormy Cape Hatteras.
Narrowly escaping from that peril, she was soon overtaken by a storm,
and tossed by mountainous towering northwest seas. Amid the horrors of
the evening prospect, Norwood observed innumerable ill-omened porpoises
that seemed to cover the surface of the sea as far as the eye could
reach. The ship at length losing forecastle and mainmast, became a mere
hulk, drifting at the mercy of the winds and waves. Some of the
passengers were swept overboard by the billows that broke over her; the
rest suffered the tortures of terror and famine. At last the tempest
subsiding, the ship drifted near the coast of the Eastern Shore. Here
Norwood and a party landing on an island, were abandoned by the Virginia
Merchant. After enduring the extremities of cold and hunger, of which
some died, Norwood and the survivors in the midst of the snow were
rescued by a party of friendly Indians. In the mean while the ship
having arrived in the James River, a messenger was dispatched by
Governor Berkley in quest of Norwood and his party. Conducted to the
nearest plantation, they were everywhere entertained with the utmost
kindness. Stephen Charlton (afterwards, in 1652, burgess from
Northampton County,) would have the Colonel to put on a good farmer-like
suit of his own. After visiting Captain Yeardley, (son of Sir George
Yeardley, the former governor,) the principal person in that quarter of
the colony, Norwood crossed the Chesapeake Bay in a sloop, and landed at
'Squire Ludlow's plantation on York River. Next he proceeded to the
neighboring plantation of Captain Ralph Wormley, at that time burgess
from York County, and member of his majesty's council. At Captain
Wormley's he found some of his friends, who had likewise recently
arrived from England, feasting and carousing. The cavaliers had changed
their clime but not their habits. These guests were Sir Thomas
Lundsford, Sir Henry Chicheley, (pronounced Chickley,) Sir Philip
Honeywood, and Colonel Hammond. Sir Thomas Lundsford lies buried in the
churchyard of Williamsburg. At Jamestown Norwood was cordially welcomed
by Sir William Berkley, who took him to his house at Greenspring, where
he remained for some months. Sir William, on many occasions, showed
great respect to all the royal party who made that colony their refuge;
and his house and purse were open to all such. To Major Fox, who had no
other friend in the colony to look to for aid, he exhibited signal
kindness; to Major Morrison he gave command of the fort at Point
Comfort, and by his interest afterwards advanced him to be governor of
the colony. In 1650 Governor Berkley dispatched Norwood to Holland to
find the fugitive king, and to solicit for the place of treasurer of
Virginia, which Sir William took to be void by "the delinquency" of
William Clayborne, the incumbent, who had long held that place. The
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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