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Hugh Gwyn
Hugh Gwyn ( 1590 - 1654) was a British colonist who owned the first legally-sanctioned slave in the Colony of Virginia, John Punch (slave), John Punch. Gwyn served several terms in the Virginia House of Burgesses and was a Judicial officer, justice. Biography Sir Hugh Gwyn (sometimes spelled "Wynne", "Wing", or "Gwinne") either immigrated to Jamestown, Virginia, Jamestown with the 1608 second supply, or arrived on the ''George'' as a servant to Captain William Peirce (burgess), William Peirce. Gwyn claimed to discover Gwynn's Island in . According to legend, Gwynn saved Pocahontas from a sinking canoe near the island. At a January 1624 muster, Hugh Wing was listed as aged 30 years. In 1635, Gwyn petitioned Charles I of England, King Charles I for ownership of the island and in 1640 was given . Gwyn built a log cabin and named the area "Gwynnville" . He was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses representing Charles River County in 1639 and York County, Virginia, York Cou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virginia House Of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established in 1619, became a bicameral institution. From 1642 to 1776, the House of Burgesses was an instrument of government alongside the royally-appointed colonial governor and the upper-house Council of State in the General House. When the Virginia colony declared its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain at the Fifth Virginia Convention in 1776 and became the independent Commonwealth of Virginia, the House of Burgesses became the House of Delegates, which continues to serve as the lower house of the General Assembly. Title ''Burgess'' originally referred to a freeman of a borough, a self-governing town or settlement in England. Early years The Colony of Virginia was founded by a joint-stock company, the Virginia Company, as a priv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
