The First Seventeen Years: Virginia 1607-1624Hatch, Charles E., Jr.
History
The First Seventeen Years: Virginia 1607-1624
Hatch, Charles E., Jr.
Virginia -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
To advance the settlement, Argall had contracted for the clearing of
some 300 acres of ground (600 pounds sterling it was to cost). This was
to be done by colonists assigned to Martin's Hundred. Other arrangements
were made with Captain William Powell to clear ground and to erect a
house, this to cost L50. This was the Powell whom Argall made the
Captain of the Governor's Company and Guard, Lieutenant Governor and
Commander of Jamestown, the blockhouses and the people. Evidently Argall
and Powell intended to pass on this cost to the "Inhabitants of
Paspaheigh, alias Argall's towne" for these people sought "an absolute
discharge from certain bondes wherein they stood bound to Captain
Samuell Argall for the payment of 600 lb and to Captain William Powell,
at Captaine Argall's appointment, for the payment of 50 lb more. To
Captaine Argall for 15 skore acres of wooddy ground, called by the name
of Argal's towne or Paspaheigh; to Captain Powell in respect of his
paines in clearing the grounde and building the houses, for which
Captaine Argal ought to have given him satisfaction."
Seemingly the accommodations which resulted were good ones for when, in
1619, some newly arrived Martin's Hundred people were seated here, there
was good and convenient housing which enabled them to do the "best of
all new-comers." They reaped better crops and the list of those who died
was "not comparable to other places." Argall Town, however, was not
destined to become a settled community. It was on the Governor's land
and Yeardley proceeded after his arrival in 1619 to take a "petty rente"
from the settlers here "to make them acknowledge ... that Paspaheigho by
expresse wordes in the greate commission did belonge to the Governor and
that they had bene wrongfully seated by Capt. Argall upon that lande."
PASBEHEGH (PASPAHEGH) AND "THE MAINE" (1B-C)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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