Year Events* Governor

December 20th Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery sailed

1606
from London
1607 April 26th The small fleet entered Chesapeake Bay
Edwd
1607 May 14th Landing at Jamestowne and the building of Fort James
Wingfield
Edwd
1607 Rev. Robert Hunt held a communion service among the trees
Wingfield
1608 Captain John Smith was captured. He was saved by Pocahontas. Jno Radcliffe
January 2nd Second Supply by Captain Newport arrived with 100
1608 Jno Radcliffe
settlers
1608 January 7th Jamestowne almost completely destroyed by fire Jno Radcliffe
1608 September 10th John Smith succeeded John Radcliffe Jno Smith
Capt. Newport brings settlers including Mrs. Forrest and Ann
1608 Jno Smith
Burras, her maid
1609 Fleet of nine ships scattered and Sea Venture wrecked in Bermuda Jno Smith
1609 First Ships of scattered fleet arrived in Virginia Jno Smith
John Smith was injured, returned to England, replaced by Captain
1609 Geo Percy
George Percy
May 23th Sir Thomas Gates arrived with survivors of the Sea
1610 Thos West
Venture
Governor Gates decides to abandon Jamestowne but returns on
1610 Thos West
West's arrival
Lord De La Warr arrived with Fleet of three ships and 150
1610 Thos West
planters
Lord De La Warr left and made Sir George Percy Deputy
1611 Thos West
Governor
1611 Lt. Gov. Sir Thomas Dale arrived with supplies and 300 people Thos West
1611 Lt. Gov. Sir Thomas Gates arrived with 280 men and 20 women Thos West
1612 Dale as Marshall had "newly strongly impaled" the forts Thos West
1613 Pocahontas was captured and held at Jamestowne Thos West
1614 Gates left Virginia and Dale resumed control Thos West
1614 On April 5th John Rolfe and Pocahontas were married Thos West
Relations with the Indians improve after the Rolfe-Pocahontas
1615 Thos West
marriage
Dale left for London with Rolfe and Pocahontas and left Geo
1616 Thos West
Yeardley in command
1617 Captain Samuel Argall returned to replace Yeardley Thos West
Lord De La Warr died enroute to Virginia and was replace by
1618 Geo Yeardley
Yeardley in April
1619 Nathaniel Powell was in charge until Yeardley arrived Geo Yeardley
1619 First Representative Assembly in English speaking America 1619 Geo Yeardley
Dec. 4 - Capt. John Woodleefe's arrival on ship Margaret with 36
1619 Geo Yeardley
new settlers
Sir Edwin Sandys issued a patent under which the Pilgrims sailed
1620 Geo Yeardley
to Plymouth
John Rolfe wrote that a Dutch ship had arrived and sold 20
1620 Geo Yeardley
Negroes to the colonists
Governor Sir Francis Wyatt arrived to replace Yeardley whose 3-
1621 Fra Wyatt
yr. term was up
1621 Sir Francis Wyatt established quarterly sessions of courts Fra Wyatt
1622 March 22nd the Indian attacked and massacred many of the Fra Wyatt
 Colonists
1623 Virginia and Bermuda given monopoly on tobacco trade Fra Wyatt
Virginia Company patent overthrown and Virginia was made a
1624 Fra Wyatt
Crown Colony
Death of James I. King Charles I recognized the House of
1625 Fra Wyatt
Burgesses
1626 Palisade built across peninsula from James River to the York River Fra Wyatt
Sir Francis Wyatt left for England and Sir George Yeardley
1626 Geo Yeardley
became Governor
Francis West succeeded as Governor at death of Sir George
1627 Fra West
Yeardley
A slave ship from Angola was captured and Negroes were bartered
1628 Fra West
for tobacco
1628 King Charles I authorized a General Assembly which met in MarchFra West
Capt. Francis West returned to England was replaced by Dr. John
1629 Jno Pott
Pott
Council had four members and the House of Burgesses had forty-
1629 Jno Pott
six
1629 Lord Baltimore arrived in Virginia from New Foundland Jno Harvey
1630 Sir John Harvey arrived and Council tried Pott Jno Harvey
Harvey commissioned Nathl. Basse to go and invite New
1631 Jno Harvey
Englanders to come South
1631 Henry Fleet took Indian corn to New England Jno Harvey
War with the Indians continued and a great drought causes a
1632 Jno Harvey
scarcity of corn
Virginians were outraged at giving part of Virginia (Maryland) to
1632 Jno Harvey
Lord Baltimore
The General Assembly established Middle Plantation (Later
1633 Jno Harvey
Williamsburg)
Virginia was divided into eight shires: James City, Henrico,
1634 Jno Harvey
Charles City, Elizabeth City,
Warrosquyoake (Isle of Wight-1643), Charles River (York-1643),
1634 Jno Harvey
Warwick River
1634 (Warwick-1643), and Accawmack (Northampton-1643) Jno Harvey
The Ark and Dove arrived at Point Comfort and Virginia shipped
1634 Jno Harvey
corn to NE
Rebellion in the Council and Assembly who choose John West to
1635 Jno Harvey
replace Harvey
1636 Twenty One ships returning to London freighted with tobacco Jno Harvey
1636 New Norfolk created out of Elizabeth City County Jno Harvey
Sir John Harvey resumes Governorship and send mutineers to
1637 Jno Harvey
London for trial
1637 New Norfolk was split into Upper and Lower Norfolk Jno Harvey
King Charles formally approved of the General Assembly and
1638 Jno Harvey
ordered annual mtgs. .
1638 Harvey's enemies succeeded in having his commission revoked Jno Harvey
Sir Francis Wyatt arrived in Jamestowne to replace Sir John
1639 Fra Wyatt
Harvey
Sir John Harvey lost much of his estates and returned to England
1640 Fra Wyatt
in poor health
1641 Conflict between Parliament and the King was brewing in England Fra Wyatt
Sir William Berkeley arrived in Virginia. Clash of arms at
1642 Wm Berkeley
Nottingham, England
1643 Dissenters in Nansemond ask for ministers from New England who Wm Berkeley
 were rejected
Lord Baltimore gave notice that Maryland would accept non-
1643 Wm Berkeley
conformists
1643 Northampton created out of Accomack Wm Berkeley
1644 In England King's Army defeated at Marston Moor. Wm Berkeley
1644 Opechancanough lead Indians in massacre of 300-500 colonists Wm Berkeley
County Lieutenants muster all men between 16-60 with arms and
1644 Wm Berkeley
ammunitions
Opechancanough was captured and jailed in Jamestowne where he
1644 Wm Berkeley
was murdered
Charles I defeated at Naseby and Calvert ousted from Maryland by
1645 Wm Berkeley
Claiborne
1645 Northumberland created out of Indian land Wm Berkeley
Assembly confirms treaty with Necatowance, successor to
1646 Wm Berkeley
Opechancanough
1647 Assembly declares non-conformist ministers no entitled to tithes Wm Berkeley
1648 Population of Colony was about 15,000 English and 300 Negroes Wm Berkeley
Trial and beheading of Charles I while Virginia remained loyal to
1649 Wm Berkeley
the crown
1650 Berkeley supports Charles II and received new Commission Wm Berkeley
England's Long Parliament passed and act forbidding trade with
1651 Wm Berkeley
Virginia
Gloucester created out of York County and Lancaster created out
1651 Wm Berkeley
of Northumberland
Articles of surrender to the Commonwealth of England agreed to
1652 Wm Berkeley
by Burgesses
1652 Richard Bennett was elected Governor by the General Assembly Ric Bennett
Oliver Cromwell ignored Virginia and self-government went
1653 Ric Bennett
serenely on
1653 Westmoreland County created out of Northumberland County Wm Berkeley
Trade with England continued exchanging tobacco for
1654 Ric Bennett
merchandise
1654 New Kent County created our of York County Wm Berkeley
1655 The Assembly elected Edward Diggs as governor Edwd Diggs
Diggs left for England late in the year and Samuel Mathews elected
1656 Edwd Diggs
to replace him
1656 Rappahannock County created out of Lancaster County Edwd Diggs
1657 The Assembly tried to subsidize an alternative crop to tobacco Sam Mathews
Governor and Council tried unsuccessfully to dissolve the House of
1658 Sam Mathews
Burgesses
1659 Governor Mathews announced the death of Cromwell March 7th Sam Mathews
Mathews died in January. Charles II restored to the throne on his
1660 Sam Mathews
birthday, May 29th
March 13th theHouse of Burgesses reaffirmed Berkeley to be
1660 Wm Berkeley
Governor
1660 King Charles II commission to Berkeley arrived on July 31st Wm Berkeley
Francis Morryson was Acting Governor while Governor Berkeley
1661 Wm Berkeley
was in England
1662 Assembly expunged all old Acts tainted with disloyalty Wm Berkeley
1662 Governor Berkeley returned after 18 months in England Wm Berkeley
1662 Accomack County created out of Northampton County Wm Berkeley
Low prices on tobacco brought economic stagnation and
1663 Wm Berkeley
encouraged insurrection
1664 Stafford County was created out of Westmoreland County Wm Berkeley
1665 Convoy of tobacco ships protected from Dutch warships. Wm Berkeley
Attempts to curtail tobacco production failed. Bumper crop hurt
1666 Wm Berkeley
the Colony
1667 Dutch warships sailed into James River and burned six ships Wm Berkeley
Wet summer and hurricane destroy crops and solves
1667 Wm. Berkeley
overproduction problem
1669 TMiddlesex County created out of Lancaster County Wm Berkeley
1669 John Lederer, a German, explored the Valley of Virginia Wm Berkeley
1670 Berkeley protects conformity to King's Northern Neck Land Grant Wm Berkeley
1671 Party sent by Abraham Wood explored the Shenandoah Valley Wm Berkeley
Berkeley estimated pop. at 48,000 with 6000 indent. servants and
1672 Wm Berkeley
2000 Negroes
1673 Culpeper and Arlington Grant opposed by Burgesses Wm Berkeley
Relations with Indians deteriorate prompting plan for war with
1675 Wm Berkeley
Indians
Nathaniel Bacon lead a campaign against Indians and Berkeley
1676 Wm Berkeley
declares him a rebel
1676 Bacon burned Jamestowne and died in October Wm Berkeley
1677 Berkeley hanged many rebels at Greenspring Wm Berkeley
1677 King's Commissioners arrived to investigate insurrection Wm Berkeley
1677 Berkeley replaced by Jeffreys and sailed to England Herb Jeffreys
1678 Henry Chicheley replaces Jeffreys who died in late 1678 Hen Chicheley
1679 New Assembly convened less obsessed with Bacon's Rebellion Hen Chicheley
Lord Culpeper arrived and with Assembly enacted the King's 1676
1680 Thos Culpeper
pardon
1680 The Assembly met in the rebuilt but unfinished church Hen Chicheley
"Act for Ports" placed serious hardship for traders shipping
1681 Thos Culpeper
tobacco to England
1682 Some inhabitants destroy crops due to falling prices Thos Culpeper
Culpeper returned to England and Nicholas Spencer became
1683 Fra Howard
Deputy Governor
Lord Effingham arrived and was soon in conflict with the
1684 Fra Howard
Burgesses
1685 News arrived of Charles II death and James II accession Fra Howard
1686 Lords of Trade on Effingham's complaint dissolved the Assembly Fra Howard
Effingham informed Council of his Majesty's Declaration of
1687 Fra Howard
Liberty of Conscience
1688 General Assembly petitioned for redress of Grievances Fra Howard
Lord Effingham returned to England and left Nathaniel Bacon, Sr.
1689 Fra Howard
Acting Governor
William and Mary landed in England in late 1688 and accepted
1689 Fra Howard
crown in Feb 1689
Francis Nicholson as Lt. Gov. replaced Bacon pleasing the General
1690 Fra Howard
Assembly
Burgesses petition Nicholson to send out appeals for "schoole and
1691 Fra Howard
colledge"
1691 King and Queen County created out of New Kenty County Fra Howard
1691 Norfolk and Princess Counties replace Lower Norfolk Fra Howard
Edmund Andros took office as Gov. in late September and
1692 Edmd Andros
Nicholson goes to Md
Governor and Assembly petition for a college to be called William
1692 Edmd Andros
and Mary
Essex and Richmond Counties replace "Old" Rappahannock
1692 Wm Berkeley
County
 1693 James Blair landed from England with Charter for college Edmd Andros
Andros and Assembly opposed each other and Assembly was
1694 Edmd Andros
dissolved
1695 College Foundation stone laid at Middle Plantation Edmd Andros
1696 Assembly fixed clergy salaries Edmd Andros
1697 Governor Andros estimated population at 70,000 Edmd Andros
1698 Francis Nicholson replaces Andros as Governor Fra Nicholson
1698 State House at Jamestowne destroyed by fire Fra Nicholson
1699 Assembly met at Jamestowne and adjourned to Middle Plantation Fra Nicholson
1699 Nicholson proclaimed the Act of Toleration (Religious) Fra Nicholson
1700 Assembly met at College of William and Mary Fra Nicholson

http://www.jamestowne.org/chronology.htm