The Stronghold: A Story of Historic Northern Neck of Virginia and Its People — John Shaqi
The Stronghold: A Story of Historic Northern Neck of Virginia and Its PeopleHaynie, Miriam
History
The Stronghold: A Story of Historic Northern Neck of Virginia and Its People
Haynie, Miriam
Northern Neck (Va.)
The planter's dwelling, even though it was little and plain, sometimes
no larger than 24 × 24, was referred to as the "manor house," "great
house" or "mansion," in order to distinguish it from its dependencies,
the kitchen, milkhouse, smokehouse, henhouse, stable, barn and cabins
for servants.
According to an early order by the Assembly, all dwelling houses
throughout the Colony of Virginia must be palisaded. This order was
still in effect when Coan Hall was built, but as the Indians were
friendly in this region and there was no one at Chicacoan to enforce the
law, the yard may have been surrounded by a stout fence of locust
instead, or by palings to keep out hogs and cattle which wandered
without restraint.
Needless to say, a bubbling spring was somewhere close by the dwelling,
and perhaps a gourd dipper.
_KITTAMAQUND_
Pocahontas was not the only Indian girl of royal blood who once lived in
the Northern Neck. Kittamaqund, too, lived for awhile, died and, it is
believed, was buried in the land between the Rappahannock and the
Potomac.
Kittamaqund was the only child of the Tayac, or Emperor, of the
Piscataway Indians. Their village was located on Piscataway Creek on the
Maryland side of the Potomac. At this point the Potomac, which separated
the Province of Maryland from the Colony of Virginia, was less than a
mile wide.
In the winter of 1640 Father Andrew White, a Catholic missionary, came
to "Piscatoe" to baptize the Indians. Among those whom Father White
baptized were the Emperor and his wife.
Shortly after the missionary's visit, the Emperor brought his
seven-year-old daughter, Kittamaqund, to St. Mary's "Citie," Maryland,
and put her in the care of Father White. He loved his daughter very
dearly and he wanted her to be educated and "when she shall well
understand the Christian mysteries, to be washed in the sacred font of
baptism."
The "little Empress," as she was called by the settlers, was adopted by
Mistress Margaret Brent of St. Mary's. By 1642 Kittamaqund had become
"proficient in the English language" and she was baptized by Father
White at that time and given the Christian name Mary.
Before long romance took a hand in the situation. Mistress Margaret had
a brother, Giles Brent, who had left England with her on the ship
_Elizabeth_ in 1638, and they had arrived together at St. Mary's. Giles
had been born in Gloucestershire, England, about 1600.
Giles and the little Indian "Empress" were married when she was about
twelve years old. Giles had a home on Kent Island where they lived for
part of the year and the rest of the year they stayed with Margaret at
her home "in St. Maries, where he had certain goods &C"--"divers cattle
and other commodities ... linen, shoes, stockings, sugar ... and also a
little cabbonett containing Jewels &C."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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