Richard Lee II
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Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Richard Lee II ( – ) was an American planter, politician and military officer from
Northumberland County, Virginia Northumberland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 11,839. Its county seat is Heathsville. The county is located on the Northern Neck and is part of the Northern Neck George Washin ...
who served in both houses of the
Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...
and was captured during
Bacon's Rebellion Bacon's Rebellion was an armed rebellion held by Colony of Virginia, Virginia settlers that took place from 1676 to 1677. It was led by Nathaniel Bacon (Virginia colonist), Nathaniel Bacon against List of colonial governors of Virginia, Colon ...
.


Early life

Born at "Paradise" plantation in
Northumberland County, Virginia Northumberland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 11,839. Its county seat is Heathsville. The county is located on the Northern Neck and is part of the Northern Neck George Washin ...
, to the former Anne Constable (ca. 1621–1666) and her merchant planter husband Col. Richard Lee I, "the Immigrant" (1618–1664). He was educated at Oxford in England and may have studied law at the London
Inns of Court The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. There are four Inns of Court – Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple. All barristers must belong to one of them. They have ...
. He seemed destined for a career in the church, but he elected rather to return to the life of a Virginia gentleman, residing at "Paradise". In 1673, when his older brother
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
died unmarried, Richard inherited what had been his father's main estate, " Machodoc", and his two younger sons Thomas and Henry (who under primogeniture would receive little after his death, inherited specific property (some in
Dorchester County, Maryland Dorchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. At the 2020 census, the population was 32,531. Its county seat is Cambridge. The county was formed in 1669 and named for the Earl of Dorset, a family friend of the Calverts (t ...
under the terms of Richard's will. Richard left "Paradise" to overseers and moved to his new estate.


Career

Upon his father's death, and later his brother John's death, he inherited considerable acreage in multiple Virginia counties. The Paradise plantation consisted of , and was later part of Gloucester County. Soon after his marriage, Richard won election to the
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 ...
, and won re-election once. In 1676, Richard became a member of the legislature's upper house, the King's Council and he served in this capacity off and on until 1698. The Council also served as the Governor's privy council and the colony's Supreme Court. On one such absence in 1690, he had lost his seat because of his refusal to take the oath of allegiance to William III,
King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...
("William of Orange") (1650–1702). However, he was reinstated within a year. Richard ultimately retired from that position because of ill health. As early as 1680 he had accepted appointment as militia colonel for Westmoreland and adjoining (but later subdivided)
Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...
and
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counties. A more lucrative appointment he received during the term of Gov.
Edmund Andros Sir Edmund Andros (6 December 1637 – 24 February 1714) was an English colonial administrator in British America. He was the governor of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. At other times, Andros served ...
(1637–1714) was that of "Naval Officer and Receiver of Virginia Dutys for the River Potomac", for which he received 10% of the export duties collected. Richard established his residence at the "Machodoc" plantation, then on the
Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...
in Westmoreland county, near the modern town of
Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
in Westmoreland County. Pursuant to primogeniture, the large brick house, largely enclosed by a brick wall, would be inherited by his son Richard Lee III (1679–1718) who resided in London with his family, and was a merchant in the tobacco trade. However, around the time of this man's death, the mercantile firm of Corbin and Lee faced significant financial problems. Nonetheless, Richard III leased his estate in Virginia to his youngest, brothers,
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
, Hon. (1690–1750) and
Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
(1691–1747), for "''an annual rent of one peppercorn only, payable on Christmas Day''".


Death

Richard survived his wife Laetitia by almost eight years, dying March 12, 1714, at "Machodoc" in Westmoreland County. His will was probated on April 27, 1715. He was buried at what slightly more than a decade later became known as the old "Burnt House Fields", the family graveyard located near "Mount Pleasant". Laetitia's tombstone can still be seen there. After Richard's death in 1718, his London-based widow, Martha Silk, sold her interest to the resident brother, Colonel Thomas Lee. However, arsonist thieves burned the house down on January 29, 1729, which prompted Thomas (after receiving some compensation for his loss from the government and queen) to build Stratford Hall. Upon reaching legal age and arriving in Virginia, Richard Lee III's only son, Col. George Lee (1714–1761), built another new plantation house, which he called "Mount Pleasant". Although built further back from the river and upon higher ground, it also later burned down.


Personal life

Richard II, had one of the largest libraries in the Colony. He spent almost his whole life in study, and usually wrote his notes in Greek, Hebrew, or Latin. It was because of this that he was termed "Richard the scholar". Richard was a supporter of the Established Church. Richard married Laetitia Corbin (ca. 1657–1706), daughter of Richard's neighbor and member of the Governor's Council,
Henry Corbin Henry Corbin (14 April 1903 – 7 October 1978)Shayegan, DaryushHenry Corbin in Encyclopaedia Iranica. was a French philosopher, theologian, and Iranologist, professor of Islamic studies at the École pratique des hautes études. He was in ...
, Sr. (1629–1676) and his wife Alice (Eltonhead) Burnham (ca. 1627–1684). Laetitia's sister was Anne Corbin Tayloe.Lancaster, Robert Alexander (1915). Historic Virginia homes and churches (Now in the public domain. ed.). Lippincott. pp. 343–. Retrieved 17 October 2011. # John Lee (21 May 1678 – 1679), who died in infancy. # Richard Lee III (12 Jul. 1679–31 Dec. 1718), who married Martha Silk (23 Jan. 1679-23 Jan. 1734). # Capt. and Justice of the Peace Philip Corbin Lee (1681–1744) who married 1) Sarah Brooke (1683–1724), the daughter of Col. & Judge
Thomas Brooke, Jr. Colonel (United Kingdom), Colonel Thomas Brooke Jr. of Brookefield (1660 – 1731) was President of the Council in Maryland and acting 13th Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland. He was the son of Major (United Kingdom), Major Th ...
(1660–1730), and 2) Barbara Dent (1676–1754), widow of her uncle, Col. & Gent William Dent Sr. (1660–1705). # Ann Lee (1683–1732), who married 1) Hon. William Fitzhugh, Jr. (1679–1713) of " Eagle's Nest" in
King George County King George County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 26,723. Its county seat is the town of King George. The county's largest employer is the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center ...
and 2) Capt. Daniel McCarthy, Sr., Esq. (1679–1724), son of Dennis (MacCartee) McCarthy, Sr. (d. 1694) and Elizabeth Billington. # Francis Lee (1685-aft. 1754), who married Mary Barnell (1687-?). #
Thomas Lee (Virginia colonist) Col. Thomas Lee (–November 14, 1750) was a planter and politician in colonial Virginia. He was a member of the Lee family, a political dynasty which included many figures from the colonial era until the late twentieth century. Lee becam ...
(1690–1750) who built now-historic Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County. Thomas married
Hannah Harrison Ludwell Hannah Harrison Ludwell Lee (December 5, 1701 – January 25, 1750) was an American colonial heiress and the wife of Colonel Thomas Lee. A granddaughter of Philip Ludwell and Benjamin Harrison II, she was a prominent figure within the American ge ...
(1701–1750), daughter of Col. Philip Ludwell II (1672–1726) of
Green Spring Plantation Green Spring Plantation in James City County about west of Williamsburg, was the 17th century plantation of one of the more popular governors of Colonial Virginia in North America, Sir William Berkeley, and his wife, Frances Culpeper Berkel ...
, and Hannah Harrison (1679–1731). #
Henry Lee I Capt. Henry Lee I (1691–1747) was a prominent Virginia colonist, planter, soldier, and politician, brother of Governor Thomas Lee, grandfather of Revolutionary War hero Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee III, and great-grandfather of Confederat ...
(1691–1747) of "Lee Hall" in Westmoreland County. Henry married Mary Bland (1704–1764), daughter of Hon. Richard Bland, Sr. (1665–1720) and his second wife, Elizabeth Randolph (d. 1719). # Arthur Lee (1693–1756), who married an unknown Sherrad.


Further reading

"The Lees of Virginia: An American Legacy," ''Lee Family Digital Archive'' (http://leearchive.wlu.edu/legacy/index.html : accessed 2014-04-10), Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia. "The Lees of Virginia," ''The Society of the Lees of Virginia'' (http://www.thesocietyoftheleesofva.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=543 : accessed 2014-04-10), The Society of the Lees of Virginia, Alexandria, Virginia. Paul C. Nagel, ''The Lees of Virginia: Seven Generations of an American Family'', New York: Oxford University Press, 1990; specifically Ch. 2, " ichard Lee II The Scholar, 1664–1715," pp. 21–32; digital images, ''Google Books'' (https://books.google.com/books?id=UbyPlhZeKZIC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA21 : accessed 2014-04-10). Louis B. Wright, "Richard Lee II, A Belated Elizabethan in Virginia," ''The Huntington Library Quarterly'' 2:1-35 (October 1938); San Marino, California: Huntington Library Press, 1938; digital facsimile, ''Lee Family Digital Archive'' (http://leearchive.wlu.edu/papers/manuscripts/library/wright.html : accessed 2014-04-10), Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Richard II 1647 births 1715 deaths House of Burgesses members Lee family of Virginia Virginia colonial people American planters People from Northumberland County, Virginia