Elizabeth City (or Elizabeth Cittie as it was then called) was one of four incorporations established in the

Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...

in 1619 by the proprietor, the

Virginia Company The Virginia Company was an English trading company chartered by King James I on 10 April 1606 with the object of colonizing the eastern coast of America. The coast was named Virginia, after Elizabeth I, and it stretched from present-day Mai ...

of London, acting in accordance with instructions issued by Sir

George Yeardley Sir George Yeardley (1587 – November 13, 1627) was a planter and colonial governor of the colony of Virginia. He was also among the first slaveowners in Colonial America. A survivor of the Virginia Company of London's ill-fated Third Supply M ...

, Governor.Foley, Louise Pledge Heath (1978, 2002 reprint). ''Early Families Along the James River'', p. vi. Genealogical Publishing Co. The plantations and developments were divided into four political divisions, called "incorporations", "burroughs", or "cities". These were James City, Charles City, Henrico City, and Kiccowtan or

Kecoughtan In the seventeenth century, Kecoughtan was the name of the settlement now known as Hampton, Virginia, In the early twentieth century, it was also the name of a town nearby in Elizabeth City County. It was annexed into the City of Newport News in 19 ...

(later Elizabeth City). Each of the four "citties" (sic) extended across the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesap ...

, the main conduit of transportation of the era. In 1634, under the authority of

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after ...

, Virginia was divided into eight counties, or shires. One of them was

Elizabeth City Shire Elizabeth City Shire was one of eight shires created in colonial Virginia in 1634. The shire and the Elizabeth River were named for Elizabeth of Bohemia, daughter of King James I. During the 17th century, shortly after establishment of Jamestown ...

, later Elizabeth City County. Elizabeth City County existed until 1952, when it was incorporated as the independent city of

Hampton, Virginia Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...

.Chapman, Blanche Adams (1941, 1980 reprint)
''Wills and Administrations of Elizabeth City County, Virginia, 1688-1800''
preface. Genealogical Publishing Co.

References

Populated places in colonial Virginia Hampton, Virginia Populated places established in 1619 1619 establishments in Virginia {{US-hist-stub