William Drummond (born ca.1617, died 1677) was the first colonial governor of

Albemarle Sound Albemarle Sound () is a large estuary on the coast of North Carolina in the United States located at the confluence of a group of rivers, including the Chowan and Roanoke. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Currituck Banks, a ba ...

settlement in the

Province of Carolina Province of Carolina was a province of England (1663–1707) and Great Britain (1707–1712) that existed in North America and the Caribbean from 1663 until partitioned into North and South on January 24, 1712. It is part of present-day Alaba ...

and a participant in

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 and career

Drummond was born in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and came to Virginia in 1637 as an indentured servant to Theodore Moye. He was an indentured servant to Stephen Webb in 1639. He rose to the positions of

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and High Sheriff of

James City County James City County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,254. Although politically separate from the county, the county seat is the adjacent independent city of Williamsburg. Located ...

. He discovered a large, circular lake in the center of the

Great Dismal Swamp The Great Dismal Swamp is a large swamp in the Coastal Plain Region of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It is located in parts of the southern Virginia inde ...

in 1655, now named

Lake Drummond Lake Drummond is a freshwater lake at the center of the Great Dismal Swamp, a marshy region on the Coastal Plain of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina, in the United ...

. In 1664, Drummond was chosen to be governor of the Albemarle County colony (which would eventually become

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

) by Virginia Governor William Berkeley at the request of Berkeley's fellow

Lords Proprietor A lord proprietor is a person granted a royal charter for the establishment and government of an English colony in the 17th century. The plural of the term is "lords proprietors" or "lords proprietary". Origin In the beginning of the European ...

of the colony. Drummond summoned the first legislative assembly in Carolina in 1665. Samuel Stephens succeeded him as governor. He had at least five children with his wife

Sarah Drummond Sarah Drummond was a prominent member of Bacon's Rebellion, one of the first landowning ladies in America, and the wife of William Drummond (colonial governor), William Drummond, the first colonial governor of Albemartle Sound settlement, Provence ...

Death

Drummond returned to Virginia in 1667 and later supported Nathaniel Bacon during

against the government of Governor Berkeley. After Bacon was defeated, Drummond was found guilty of treason and rebellion against the king. Governor Berkeley had Drummond executed on January 20, 1677.

Legacy

Drummond discovered a large, circular lake in the center of the

in 1655. The lake was named after him, and is called

References

External links

Biography from Carolana.comBiography
from

Encyclopedia Virginia Virginia Humanities (VH), formerly the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, is a humanities council whose stated mission is to develop the civic, cultural, and intellectual life of the Commonwealth of Virginia by creating learning opportunities f ...

Lake DrummondNorth Carolina Historical Marker
American colonial people Colonial governors and administrators Kingdom of Scotland emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies 1677 deaths Executed Scottish people People executed by the Colony of Virginia Year of birth unknown Place of birth unknown Date of death unknown Place of death unknown 17th-century executions of American people 17th-century executions by England {{UK-gov-bio-stub