Mother Earth: Land Grants in Virginia, 1607-1699Robinson, Walter Stitt
History
Mother Earth: Land Grants in Virginia, 1607-1699
Robinson, Walter Stitt
Land grants -- Virginia -- History; Virginia -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
As early as 1616 there were references by the company to send to
Virginia a surveyor who could lay out the lands to be distributed to the
adventurers. It is probable that a surveyor accompanied Captain Samuel
Argall to the colony in 1617, but the first name on record in this
position seems to be that of Richard Norwood who had previously engaged
in surveying in the Somer Isles. There is little to indicate that much
was done by Norwood. In 1621 William Claiborne accompanied Governor
Francis Wyatt to Virginia, and the arrival of these two men actuated the
granting of many tracts.
One of these grants by Governor Wyatt is the earliest extant form of the
headright franchise. Dated January 26, 1621/22, it conveyed to Thomas
Hothersall 200 acres of land at Blunt Point located in later Warwick
County. The grant read as follows:
_By the Governr and Capt: Generll: of Virginia_
_To all to whome these prsents shall come_ greeting in our Lord God
Everlasting.
_Know Yee_ that I sr Francis Wyatt Kt, Governr and Capt: Generall
of Virginia, by vertue of the great charter of orders and lawes
concluded on and dated at London in a generall quarter court the
eighteenth day of November one thousand six hundred and eighteene
by the treasurer Counseil and company of adventurers for the first
southerne colony of Virginia, according to the authority graunted
them from his Matie under his great seale, the said charter being
directed to the Governr and Counseil of State here resident, and by
the rules of justice, equity & reason, doe wth the approbation and
consent of the same Counseil who are joyned in commission with mee,
give and graunt unto Mr. Thomas Hothersall of Paspehay gent., and
to his heires and assignes for ever, for his first generll:
devident, to bee augumented and doubled by the said company to him
and his said heires and assignes when hee or they shall once
sufficiently have planted and peopled the same.
Two hundred acres of land scituate and being at Blunt Point,
confining on the east the land of Cornelius May, on the south upon
the great river, on the north upon the maine land and on the west
runing towards a small creek one hundred rod (at sixteene foote and
a half the rod);
Fifty acres whereof is his owne psonall right and fifty acres is
the psonall right of Frances Hothersall his wife, the other hundred
acres in consideration of his transportacon of twoe of his children
out of England at his owne cost & charges, Viz: Richard Hothersall
and Mary Hothersall,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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