How Justice Grew: Virginia Counties, An Abstract of Their Formation — John Shaqi
How Justice Grew: Virginia Counties, An Abstract of Their FormationHiden, Martha W. (Martha Woodroof)
History
How Justice Grew: Virginia Counties, An Abstract of Their Formation
Hiden, Martha W. (Martha Woodroof)
Counties -- Virginia -- History; Virginia -- History; Virginia -- History, Local
In 1754 that part of Amelia County divided "by a line to run from Ward's
ford on Appomattox River to the mouth of Sail's creek on Nottoway river
and all that part of the said county which lies on the upper side of the
said line shall be one distinct county and called and known by the name
of Prince Edward." The name was in honor of a younger brother of King
George III, Prince Edward, Duke of Gloucester. This Prince was one of
the two brothers of George III, whose marriages to commoners led to the
passage of the famous Royal Marriage Act in 1772. Its well-known
provisions are that no descendant of King George III may marry when
under 25 years of age without consent of the reigning monarch or, if
over that age, without a consenting Act of Parliament. Prince Edward
Street in Fredericksburg is also named for this Prince as the city
itself is for his father.
Also in 1754, a second county was created from Lunenburg and called
Bedford. It comprised the area lying on the upper side of Falling-river
from its mouth "up the said river to the fork, thence up that fork
running by John Beard's to the head, thence by a line to be run from the
head thereof north, twenty degrees east to the line dividing the said
county from the county of Albemarle." It should be remembered that at
this time both the present Buckingham and Appomattox were a part of
Albemarle County. The new county honored "John Russell the fourth Duke
of Bedford who was Secretary of State of Great Britain February 13th
1748 to June 26th 1757." The parish, coterminous with the county and
created at the same time, also honored the Duke, being called Russell.
Another expansion at this time also on the south side of James River was
the formation of Sussex from Surry County. Sussex lies to the south of
Seacock Swamp on the line dividing Surry "from the county of
Southampton, thence a straight course to Blackwater at the mouth of
Coppohawk and up Blackwater to the line dividing" Surry from the county
of Prince George. Sussex took its name from the English shire. Albemarle
Parish formed in 1739 had included the area now made into Sussex, and,
in addition, a small portion of Surry. It was enacted that the portion
in Surry be added to Southwark Parish, and Albemarle Parish be made
coterminous with Sussex.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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