Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (22 October 16939 December 1781) was a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
-born
planter. The only member of the
British peerage
A Peerage is a form of The Crown, crown distinction, with Peerages in the United Kingdom comprising both hereditary title, hereditary and life peer, lifetime titled appointments of various Imperial, royal and noble ranks, ranks, which form ...
to permanently reside in
British America
British America collectively refers to various British colonization of the Americas, colonies of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and its predecessors states in the Americas prior to the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War in 1 ...
, Fairfax owned the
Northern Neck Proprietary
The Northern Neck Proprietary – also called the Northern Neck land grant, Fairfax Proprietary, or Fairfax Grant – was a land grant first contrived by the exiled English King Charles II in 1649 and encompassing all the lands bounded by the Pot ...
in the
Colony of Virginia
The Colony of Virginia was a British Empire, British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776.
The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colo ...
, where he spent the majority of his life. The proprietary had been granted to Fairfax's ancestor
John Colepeper, 1st Baron Colepeper by
Charles II of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles II was the eldest su ...
in 1649.
On his Virginian estates, Fairfax developed a profitable operation based on the
forced labour
Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...
of several hundred
black slaves. A steadfast
Loyalist
Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...
during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
, he was largely protected from the loss of his property due to Fairfax's friendship with
George Washington
George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
. Several places in
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several County (United States), counties and independent city (United States), independent cities in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. ...
and the
eastern panhandle of West Virginia are named for him, including
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most p ...
and the
City of Fairfax.
Early life
Thomas Fairfax was born on 22 October 1693 in
Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle is a castle in Kent, England, southeast of Maidstone. It is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds and is a historic Grade I listed estate.
A castle has existed on the site s ...
,
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
. The castle had been owned by his maternal ancestors since the 1630s. Fairfax was the son of
Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron and Catherine Colepeper, the daughter of
Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper. He succeeded to his father's
Scottish peerage
The Peerage of Scotland (; ) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union 1707, Treaty of Union, the Kingdom of Scots and the ...
in 1709, and was educated at
Oriel College, Oxford
Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title for ...
between 1710 and 1713. In 1721, Fairfax was commissioned into the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
, serving in the
Royal Regiment of Horse Guards until 1733. He was also a contributor to ''
The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
'', a daily publication founded by
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 May 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. He was the eldest son of Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with w ...
and
Richard Steele
Sir Richard Steele ( – 1 September 1729) was an Anglo-Irish writer, playwright and politician best known as the co-founder of the magazine ''The Spectator (1711), The Spectator'' alongside his close friend Joseph Addison.
Early life
Steel ...
in 1711 before ceasing publication in the next year.
Move to North America
In 1719, Fairfax came into possession of the
Northern Neck Proprietary
The Northern Neck Proprietary – also called the Northern Neck land grant, Fairfax Proprietary, or Fairfax Grant – was a land grant first contrived by the exiled English King Charles II in 1649 and encompassing all the lands bounded by the Pot ...
in the British
colony of Virginia
The Colony of Virginia was a British Empire, British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776.
The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colo ...
, which had been granted to Fairfax's maternal ancestor
John Colepeper, 1st Baron Colepeper by
Charles II of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles II was the eldest su ...
in 1649. The property included a large portion of the
Shenandoah and
South Branch Potomac valleys, and consisted of approximately 5,282,000 acres (21,380 km
2) of land. Struggling to keep up an expensive lifestyle and maintain Leeds Castle, Fairfax relied heavily on the income he derived from the Northern Neck Proprietary, both from the sale of parcels of land to and annual
quit-rent
Quit rent, quit-rent, or quitrent is a tax or land tax imposed on occupants of freehold or leased land in lieu of services to a higher landowning authority, usually a government or its assigns.
Under English feudal law, the payment of quit ren ...
s from
planters who settled in the
Northern Neck
The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas (traditionally called "necks" in Virginia) on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia (along with the Middle Peninsula and the Virginia Peninsula). The P ...
of Virginia. His affairs in Virginia were handled by Fairfax's resident land agent,
Robert Carter I.
In the fall of 1732, Fairfax read Carter's obituary in the London monthly ''
The Gentleman's Magazine
''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1907, ceasing publication altogether in 1922. It was the first to use the term ''m ...
'' and was astonished to discover the vast personal wealth Carter had accumulated, which included £10,000 worth of cash, at a time when the
governor of Virginia
The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The Governor (United States), governor is head of the Government_of_Virginia#Executive_branch, executive branch ...
was paid an annual salary of £200. Rather than appoint another Virginian to the position, Fairfax arranged to have his cousin
William Fairfax move from
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
to Virginia in 1734 to serve as his resident land agent. Fairfax travelled to Virginia for the first time in 1735 to inspect and manage his estates there, remaining in the colony until 1737. In 1738, Fairfax established approximately thirty farms in the
Patterson Creek Manor, a piece of land granted to him by
the Crown
The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
.
Later life and death
The northwestern boundary of the Northern Neck Proprietary, which had been contested by the
Privy Council of Great Britain
The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former m ...
, was marked in 1746 by the
Fairfax Stone at the headwaters of the
North Branch Potomac River
The North Branch Potomac River flows from Fairfax Stone in West Virginia to its confluence with the South Branch Potomac River near Green Spring, West Virginia, where it turns into the Potomac River proper.
Course
From the Fairfax Stone, th ...
. Returning to North America in 1747, Fairfax first settled at
Belvoir, a
slave plantation
A slave plantation is an agricultural farm that uses enslaved people for labour. The practice was abolished in most places during the 19th century.
Slavery
Planters embraced the use of slaves mainly because indentured labor became expensive ...
which had been completed by William six years earlier. In the same year, he also set aside land for personal use at
Swan Pond Manor. Fairfax also became active in developing his Virginian estates and collecting quit-rents, along with utilising the
forced labour
Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...
of hundreds of
black slaves who worked on his estates.
He personally bought and sold slaves and, in 1777, engaged in the "little talked about" activity of "bedding down with a negro wench".

Fairfax was the only
British peer who resided in the
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and joined to form the United States of America.
The Thirteen C ...
. In 1748, he became acquainted with
George Washington
George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
, who was distant relative of the Fairfax family. Impressed with Washington's energy and talents, Fairfax employed him to survey his lands west of the
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...
, which was Washington's first employment. Fairfax, a lifelong bachelor, moved to the Shenandoah Valley in 1752. At the suggestion of his nephew
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 ...
, he settled down in a hunting lodge at
Greenway Court. Fairfax and Thomas lived together in a style of liberal hospitality, frequently engaging in
fox hunts. He also served as both county lieutenant and
justice of the peace for
Frederick County.
During the
American Revolution
The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
, he kept quiet about his avowed
Loyalist
Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...
views, and was protected by his friendship with Washington. The title to his domain, however, was confiscated by the Virginia Act of 1779. Less than two months after Washington's victory at the
Siege of Yorktown
The siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown and the surrender at Yorktown, was the final battle of the American Revolutionary War. It was won decisively by the Continental Army, led by George Washington, with support from the Ma ...
, Fairfax died in Greenway Court on 9 December 1781. He was buried in the
Christ Episcopal Church in
Winchester
Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
.
Legacy
Lord Fairfax's title descended to his younger brother,
Robert Fairfax, 7th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, who was also descended from the 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, who died at Leeds Castle in 1793. Since, were it not for the Revolutionary War, his immense domain should also have passed to Robert Fairfax, the latter was awarded £13,758 in 1792, by Act of Parliament for the relief of American Loyalists. A portion of this estate, devised to nephew Denny Martin Fairfax, was later the subject of the landmark
U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
case ''
Martin v. Hunter's Lessee
''Martin v. Hunter's Lessee'', 14 U.S. (1 Wheat.) 304 (1816), was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States decided on March 20, 1816. It was the first case to assert ultimate Supreme Court authority over state courts in civi ...
'' (1816). His younger cousin, son of his manager
William Fairfax and half-brother of
George William Fairfax, Rev. Bryan Fairfax, would eventually return to England to assert his claim and become the
8th Lord Fairfax of Cameron.
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most p ...
, and the City of
Fairfax, Virginia
Fairfax ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia and the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 24,146.
Fairfax is pa ...
, are named for Lord Fairfax. Fairfax and Cameron Streets in
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...
, are named for Lord Fairfax. The town's first survey map was made in 1749 by Lord Fairfax's young protégé George Washington. The
Fairfax Line and
Fairfax Stone both bear Lord Fairfax's name. Lord Fairfax Community College bore his name, but it was changed to
Laurel Ridge Community College in July 2021.
The
Swan Pond Manor Historic District encompasses land Lord Fairfax set aside in 1747 for his personal use.
References
Further reading
* Ruggiu, François-Joseph. "Extraction, wealth and industry: The ideas of noblesse and of gentility in the English and French Atlantics (17th–18th centuries)." ''History of European Ideas'' 34.4 (2008): 444-45
online* Schlesinger, Arthur M. “The Aristocracy in Colonial America.” ''Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society,'' vol. 74, 1962, pp. 3–21
online
*''Dictionary of American Biography''
*''Concise Dictionary of American Biography''; ed. Joseph G.E. Hopkins; Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1964
*
External links
Culpepper Connections! The Culpepper Family History Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairfax, Thomas, 06 Lord Fairfax of Cameron
1693 births
1781 deaths
18th-century American landowners
18th-century British Army personnel
Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford
British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies
British planters
British slave owners
Colonial American justices of the peace
Culpeper family
English emigrants
Fairfax County, Virginia
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 ...
History of Alexandria, Virginia
Immigrants to the Thirteen Colonies
Lords Fairfax of Cameron
Loyalists in the American Revolution from Virginia
Masters of foxhounds
Nobility in North America
People from Leeds, Kent
Royal Horse Guards officers