Legends of Loudoun: An account of the history and homes of a border county of Virginia's Northern NeckWilliams, Harrison
History
Legends of Loudoun: An account of the history and homes of a border county of Virginia's Northern Neck
Williams, Harrison
Historic buildings -- Virginia -- Loudoun County; Loudoun County (Va.) -- History
This appeared a reasonably satisfactory compromise of the controversy to
both sides. But suddenly in February, 1673, Charles made a grant of all
Virginia to the Earl of Arlington and Lord Colepeper to hold for
thirty-one years at an annual rent of forty shillings to be paid at
Michaelmas. Thus was Virginia rewarded for her faithful loyalty to the
Stuarts. When the news came to Jamestown the Colony flamed with
resentment and anger; and now Berkeley and his Council were in hearty
accord with the wrathful indignation of the Colonists. Even though the
King had not intended to interfere with the title of individual planters
in possession of their land, his action threw the whole situation, and
particularly in the Northern Neck, into turmoil and confusion.
Exasperation was directed against the holders of the Charter of 1669 as
well as those of 1673 and again the original patentees appealed to the
Privy Council for relief. Again the King sought to help them but by this
time they had grown weary of the long controversy and indicated their
willingness to sell out their rights to the Colony; before an agreement
could be reached, Bacon's Rebellion flared up and the whole subject was
again in abeyance.
* * * * *
We must now return to the Indians. The Dutch settlements along the
Hudson had early developed a very lucrative and active trade with their
native neighbours, particularly the Iroquois, who brought to them furs
for which they were given European manufactures, especially spirits and
firearms and when, in 1664, the English conquered and took possession of
these Hudson settlements, they continued the Dutch trade and friendship
with the Iroquois. To obtain furs, the hunters and warriors of the Five
Nations ranged further and further afield and before long were in bitter
conflict with the Susquehannocks who had their headquarters and
principal stronghold fifty or sixty miles above the present Port Deposit
in Maryland on the east bank of that river from which they derived their
name. They were mighty men and warriors, these Susquehannocks. All the
early English who mention them pay tribute to their splendid strength
and stature. Smith who, it will be remembered, came in contact with them
before his skirmish with the Manahoacs, said of them that "such great
and well proportioned men are seldom seen, for they seem like giants to
the English, yea to their neighbours." And in 1666 Alsop wrote that the
Christian inhabitants of Maryland regarded them as "the most noble and
heroic nation of Indians that dwelt upon the confines of America....
Men, women and children both summer and winter went practically naked,"
and adds, among other details, that they painted their faces in red,
green, white and black stripes; that the hair of their heads was black,
long and coarse but that the hair growing on other parts of their bodies
was removed by pulling it out hair by hair; and that some tattooed their
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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