King William died the same year his namesake county was formed and his sister-in-law, Queen Anne came to the throne. The first county formed thereafter honored her husband, the Prince Consort, George of Denmark. The new county, Prince George, embraced that portion of Charles City lying on the south side of James River. The estate, "Brandon," and the third oldest church building in Virginia known as Merchants Hope, are within its confines. After a reign of twelve years Queen Anne died and the Elector of Hanover ascended the throne as King George I of England. Several years before this, the Tangier-born Alexander Spotswood was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and took up his residence in Williamsburg. Williamsburg had become the capital in 1699. It was on higher land than malarial Jamestown and a more healthful place to live. Governor Spotswood was active and eager to explore the resources of the colony. One of his achievements was to lead a group of adventurous persons to the summit of the Blue Ridge and blaze the way for westward expansion. He also was interested in bringing over from the German Palatinate colonists adept in iron mining, and establishing them on the edges of older settlements. This brought about the creation of several counties as we shall see later. In 1721 the "Upper Inhabitants" of Richmond County because of their great distance from the courthouse petitioned to become a separate county. The eastern part lying below "Charles Beaver Dams and from the head thereof by a north course to Westmoreland County" was to retain the name Richmond and the part above the said dams and course was to be King George County. The name, of course, honored George I. When New Kent was formed in 1654 its western bounds were indefinite. By 1721, however, the "Upper Inhabitants" of this county were sufficiently numerous to petition for division on account of their great distance from court. It was ordered that "that part of the county lying below the Parish of St. Paul" was to remain New Kent and the part lying in St. Paul's Parish was to be known as Hanover County. The name again honors the reigning monarch.