William Beverley (1696–1756) was an 18th-century legislator, civil servant, planter and landowner in the Colony of Virginia. Born in Virginia, Beverley—the son of planter and historian

Robert Beverley, Jr. Robert Beverley Jr. (1667April 21, 1722) was a historian of early colonial Virginia, as well as a planter and politician. Early and family life Beverley was born in Jamestown, the second of three sons of the widow Mary Keeble and her second hus ...

(c. 1667–1722) and his wife, Ursula Byrd Beverley (1681–1698)—was the

scion Scion may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities *Scion, a playable class in the game '' Path of Exile'' (2013) *Atlantean Scion, a device in the ''Tomb Raider'' video game series *Scions, an alien race in the video game ''B ...

of two prominent Virginia families. He was the nephew of Peter Beverley (1668–1728), Speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses, and the grandson of wealthy Virginia planter

William Byrd I William Byrd I (1652 – December 4, 1704) was an English-born Virginia colonist and politician. He came from Shadwell, London where his father John Bird (c. 1620–1677) was a goldsmith. His family's ancestral roots were in Cheshire. Personal li ...

(1652–1704) of

Westover Plantation Westover Plantation is a historic colonial tidewater plantation located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. Established in c. 1730–1750, it is the homestead of the Byrd family of Virginia. State Route 5, ...

. Beverley's mother died shortly before her 17th birthday (when he was a toddler), and he was sent to England. After his education in England he began a career in public service as the Clerk of Court for Essex County (1716–1745) and in the

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 ...

, representing

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

(1736–1738) and Essex Counties (1742–1749). Beverley also served on the

Virginia Governor's Council The Governor's Council (also known as the "Council of State" or simply "the Council") was the upper house of the colonial legislature (the House of Burgesses was the other house) in the Colony of Virginia from 1607 until the American Revolution i ...

in 1750. He inherited a large estate after his father's death in 1722, amassing significant landholdings throughout Virginia from which he received revenue from

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

production and rent from 119 tenants. His development of the Beverley Manor tract in present-day Augusta County encouraged further settlement west of the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the world, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsy ...

. Beverley was commissioned by

Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (22 October 16939 December 1781), was a Scottish peer. He was the son of Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, and Catherine Colepeper, daughter of Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper. The ...

, for an expedition with Peter Jefferson to establish the

Fairfax Line The Fairfax Line was a surveyor's line run in 1746 to establish the limits of the " Northern Neck land grant" (also known as the "Fairfax Grant") in colonial Virginia. The land grant, first contrived in 1649, encompassed all lands bounded by the ...

of the Northern Neck Proprietary.

Early life and education

Beverley was born in 1696, the only child of

(c. 1667–1722) and his wife, Ursula Byrd Beverley (1681–1698). Robert Beverley, Jr., of the Beverley Park plantation in King and Queen County, was a wealthy planter who participated in the

Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition The Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition, also known as the Transmontane Expedition, took place in 1716 in the British Colony of Virginia. The Royal Governor and a number of prominent citizens traveled westward, across the Blue Ridge Moun ...

and was the first native-born historian of

colonial Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...

; he wrote the ''History of the Present State of Virginia'' in 1705, the first known history of Virginia. William Beverley's uncle,

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

(1668–1728), was Speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses. His mother, the daughter of

(1652–1704) and Maria Horsmanden Byrd of

, was affectionately known as "Little Nutty" by her family. She died on October 31, 1698, shortly before her 17th birthday, and was buried in Jamestown. Through his paternal grandmother, Margaret Boyd Beverley, William Beverley was a great-grandson of Scottish noble James Boyd, 9th Lord Boyd (died 1654). After his mother's death Beverley was sent to England, where he was educated.

Political career

After his education was completed, Beverley returned to Virginia and began a career in public service. He was the Clerk of Court for Essex County for 29 years (1716–1745), when the first Essex County courthouse was on Beverley's

Blandfield Blandfield is a historic plantation house located at Caret, Essex County, Virginia. It was built about 1716–1720, and is a brick dwelling consisting of a two-story, central block with flanking two-story dependencies connected by one-story hyphe ...

estate. Beverley was also an Essex County judge from 1720 to 1740. He was a member of the

in Williamsburg, elected to represent

(1736–1738) and Essex Counties (1742–1749). During his first term as Orange County burgess, Beverley served with Robert Green. He represented Essex County with James Ganett until 1747, after which he served with William Daingerfield until 1749. Beverley's appointment as county lieutenant and commander-in-chief of the militias of Augusta and Orange Counties in 1741 was confirmed in the Orange County Court on November 3, 1741. In 1750 he was appointed to the

, the

upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

of Virginia's colonial legislature, replacing John Custis IV (father-in-law of Martha Dandridge Custis). Beverley's appointment to the Governor's Council fulfilled an ambition which his father was unable to achieve.

Agricultural pursuits and landholdings

Beverley inherited a large estate after his father's death in 1722, and continued speculating in land. He received income from

production and rent from tenant farmers. Although by 1745 Beverley's estate produced 57 hogsheads (about 26,000 kg) of tobacco, the income from his 119 tenants in Caroline, Culpeper, Orange and King and Queen Counties was far more lucrative. After his marriage to Elizabeth Bland about 1725 Beverley lived at Blandfield, a estate along the

Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It traverses the entir ...

in Saint Anne's

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

of Essex County which he named for his wife's family. Blandfield was granted by

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

to his grandfather, Robert Beverley, Sr., in 1683 as part of a tract. Construction of Beverley's first, Georgian-style mansion at Blandfield (which is no longer standing) probably began around 1750. Blandfield had wharves on the Rappahannock from which the plantation's tobacco was shipped across the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

. In addition to agriculture and land tenancy, Beverley received additional revenue from land sales in western Virginia. The easing of restrictive land laws by the Virginia colonial government allowed him to establish his own terms with settlers on his lands, and he initially sold parcels in the Shenandoah Valley. On September 6, 1736, Beverley, John and Richard Randolph and John Robinson were deeded a land patent by

Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet (21 October 1681 – 17 December 1751) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Virginia from 1727 to 1749. Technically, Gooch only held the title of Royal Lieutenant Gove ...

on behalf of the

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

for a tract at the

headwaters The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

of the

South Fork Shenandoah River The Shenandoah River is the principal tributary of the Potomac River, long with two forks approximately long each,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 in t ...

in present-day Augusta County. On September 16 the Randolphs and Robinson transferred sole ownership of the tract to Beverley, who planned to survey and sell it; the tract, which became known as Beverley Manor, encouraged further settlement west of the

. He commissioned James Patton, a ship captain from

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

, to recruit Irish and Scotch-Irish immigrants to purchase and settle his Augusta County land. On August 8, 1737, Beverley wrote to Patton, "I should be very glad if you could import families enough to take the whole off from our hands at a reasonable price and tho' the order mentions families from Pensilvania ic yet families from Ireland will do as well". In 1738 he authorized John Lewis of northern

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, the father of Thomas Lewis, to show and sell his land in Augusta County and donated a lot in Staunton for the construction of the

Augusta County Courthouse The Augusta County Courthouse is a two-story, red brick, public building in Staunton, Virginia. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1982. It was designed by T.J. Collins, and construction ended in the Autumn of 190 ...

ten years later. By 1743 Beverley wished to receive a

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

of in the Northern Neck Proprietary on the Shenandoah and the South Branch Potomac rivers from

, planning to raise horses and cattle and divide the Northern Neck land for tenants. He and others, including John Robinson and his father (also named John), purchased on the Greenbrier River in 1745 for speculation and settlement. Beverley's land sales totaled by 1744, and by his death in 1756 he had sold and made a profit of £2,647. According to his 1756 will, Beverley owned land in Essex,

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

, King and Queen and Prince William Counties; in Caroline County, including the Pewmazeno and Beverley Chace properties and land lots in Port Royal; a land tract of , known as Elkwood, in Culpeper County, and lots in the towns of Falmouth and Fredericksburg. According to historian Turk McCleskey, the land grants to Beverley from the Governor's Council on behalf of the crown "reflected the Council's recognition both of his elite connections and of his demonstrated leadership abilities".

Business pursuits

Beverley owned and operated a

tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern t ...

at Caroline Court House in Caroline County, and participated in trade with the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

. He wrote to a Barbadian merchant in 1739, "I am very conveniently situated for the sale of Negroes, rum, sugar & Mollasses ic. Beverley sold Barbadian salt in Virginia and shipped Virginia

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...

to Barbados. A partial inventory of his estate in 1745 listed 65 enslaved persons on four plantations, cattle, hogs, sheep and horses. In 1763 Beverley's son, Robert, reported that his father's estate earned "about £1800 Currency, all plantation expenses deducted".

Fairfax Line expedition

In 1746 Beverley was commissioned by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, to represent him in an expedition with Peter Jefferson (father of

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

) through western Virginia to mark the

of the Northern Neck Proprietary, supervising the work of Jefferson and the other surveyors. The following year, he and the other participants in the Fairfax Line expedition reconvened at Jefferson's Tuckahoe plantation to draft a map (which became known as the Fry-Jefferson Map) of the Northern Neck Proprietary.

Personal life and family

Beverley married Elizabeth Bland (born May 26, 1706) around 1725. Elizabeth was the daughter of

Richard Bland Richard Bland (May 6, 1710 – October 26, 1776), sometimes referred to as Richard Bland II or Richard Bland of Jordan's Point, was an American Founding Father, planter and statesman from Virginia. A cousin and early mentor of Thomas Jeffers ...

and Elizabeth Randolph Bland of Jordan's Point, and the sister of statesman

. Beverley and his wife had four children: one son and three daughters—Robert Beverley (1740–1800), Elizabeth Beverley Mills, Ursula Beverley Fitzhugh and Anna Beverley. Beverley took an active role in his children's education, traveling to England in 1750 to enroll his son, his nephew Robert Munford III and another young man at Wakefield Grammar School. Three of Beverley's children married into prominent Virginia families. Robert married Maria Carter, daughter of

Landon Carter Col. Landon Carter, I (August 18, 1710 – December 22, 1778) was an American planter and burgess for Richmond County, Virginia. Although one of the most popular patriotic writers and pamphleters of pre-Revolutionary and Revolutionary-era Vir ...

and Maria Byrd Carter of Sabine Hall,

Richmond County Richmond County may refer to places: Australia *Richmond County, New South Wales, a cadastral division Canada *Richmond County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Richmondshire, the original Richmond County in Yorkshire, England United States ...

. Elizabeth married James Mills, a merchant in Hobbs Hole, and Ursula married William Fitzhugh. Anna was unmarried at Beverley's death in 1756. Beverley, an Anglican, had a close relationship with Anglican minister and parson Robert Rose of Saint Anne's Parish. Blandfield was in the parish, and his family attended Anglican (and later Episcopal) services at a church near the estate. On April 3, 1750 Beverley provided a lot in Staunton for the Anglican Augusta Parish Church, which was completed in 1763 and succeeded by the present Trinity Episcopal Church.

Death and legacy

After Beverley's death in 1756, his son Robert was his designated heir at law. His wife Elizabeth inherited his plantations in Essex County, including the Blandfield estate and his "slaves, cattle, horses, hogs, and sheep" on the plantations. Beverley divided a large part of his fortune among his children and their spouses, bequeathing £500 to his daughter Elizabeth and leaving her husband, James Mills, "Money & slaves" valued at £1,000. Ursula also received £500 and her husband, William Fitzhugh, £1,000. Anna was unmarried at the time of Beverley's death; his will instructed Robert to maintain his sister until her marriage or her twenty-first birthday, when she would receive her inheritance. Robert inherited the remainder of the plantations and other lands, including the Beverley Manor tract in Augusta County and lots in the town of Staunton. Beverley Manor, an Augusta County magisterial district south of Staunton, is a namesake of the Beverley Manor patent. After his mother's death Robert also inherited Beverley's Essex County properties, including Blandfield (where he built the present Georgian mansion on the site of his father's residence between 1769 and 1773). Blandfield was owned by Beverley's descendants until its 1983 sale.

References

Bibliography

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