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
The fourth county formed in 1754 was Hampshire named for the English
shire. It is now in West Virginia. Since, however, its creation affected
the bounds of two already established Virginia Counties, the Act of
Assembly for its bounds is cited: "Whereas part of the county and parish
of Augusta lies within the bounds of the territory or tract of land
called the Northern Neck belong to the right honorable Thomas, Lord
Fairfax, Baron of Cameron and it will be more convenient if the dividing
line between the said territory and the other part of this colony be
established as the line of the said county and that part of the said
county be added to the county and parish of Frederick," it was enacted
therefore that the part of Augusta above mentioned be added to Frederick
which should then be divided into two counties and "all that part
thereof lying to the westward of the ridge of mountains commonly called
and known by the name of the Great North or Cape Capon mountains and
Warin spring mountain extending to Potomac river be one distinct county
and called and known by the name of Hampshire." When Augusta and
Frederick were authorized in 1738, the western bounds of the Northern
Neck Grant had not been surveyed. This was done in 1747, and the above
Act changed the previous limits of Augusta so that the entire county
would not be a part of the proprietary.
The name of the next new county reflected current happenings. For about
six years, 1754-1760, the colony was actively participating in the
struggle to crush French power in America. The Commander-in-Chief of the
British Forces in America was, for a time, John Campbell, fourth Earl of
Loudoun. His conduct of the war was severely criticized, and he was
recalled in December 1757. He was, for almost two years, titular
"Governor and Captain-General of Virginia," though his deputy
Lieutenant-Governor Robert Dinwiddie performed all the duties of the
office. Loudoun, the new county named for the Earl, was formed from
Fairfax County in 1757. It included "all that part thereof lying above
Difficult Run which falls into Potomac river and by a line to be run
from the head of the said run or straight course to the mouth of Rocky
run." The part "thereof below the said run and course" retained its
status as a distinct county and the name of Fairfax.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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