An Uncertaine Rumor of Land: New Thoughts on the English Founding of Virginia's Eastern Shore

In An "Uncertaine Rumor" of Land, Jenean Hall reveals the sequence of events that led to a permanent English settlement on Virginia's Eastern Shore. The setting places us in the midst of the Virginia colony's struggle to accomplish demands as outlined in the Virginia Company's Great Charter of 1618. Fallout from this charter displaced some colonists and created a great burden on others, especially in the port settlement known as Elizabeth City (today's Hampton). One displaced colonist sought a new home, only to be displaced again because of the Company's demand for iron. Hall shows how such events played a role to bring John Blore and his new bride, Frances Lake, to Virginia's Eastern Shore to become its first permanent settlers. The Blores were soon followed by John Wilcocks whose small plantation developed as an overflow from the unexpected crush of people at Elizabeth City. During this same time, the eastern shore's fertility and beauty attracted the colony's Secretary Pory who placed a contingent of men on land between the Blores and Wilcocks. This ordinary progression of settlement was shattered on March 22, 1622 (n.s.), when mainland tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy attacked the mainland plantations and killed a quarter of the colony's European population. The ensuing fear and chaos prompted the Virginia governor and council to search for safe, inhabitable places. Under the governor's commission, the former governor, Sir George Yeardley, took several vessels of people to the Eastern Shore where he and Thomas Savage, an interpreter, negotiated for land with the eastern shore's Indian leader, a man known as the Laughing King. Yeardley was working toward developing a new, larger plantation off the Ackomack River when he was suddenly ordered to stop work. However, eyes had turned eastward and many liked what they saw. Most important at this time, the eastern shore's native people were welcoming and peaceful. European settlement on Virginia's Eastern Shore began to thrive. A rare treat in colonial Virginia history, this book tells an extraordinary story that hasn't been heard before now.

Author: Jenean Hall

Publisher: Sandra J. Hall

Publication Date: Oct 04, 2022

Number of Pages: 124 pages

Language: English

Binding: Paperback

ISBN-10: 0983266018

ISBN-13: 9780983266013