William Byrd I | |
|---|---|
 William Byrd I | |
| Born | William Bird 1652 |
| Died | December 4, 1704(1704-12-04) (aged 51–52) |
| Spouse | Mary (Horsmanden) Filmer |
| Children | 4, includingWilliam Byrd II |
| Relatives | William Beverley (grandson) |
William Byrd I (1652 – December 4, 1704) was an English-bornVirginia colonist and politician. He came from theShadwell section of London, where his father John Bird (c. 1620–1677) was a goldsmith. His family's ancestral roots were inCheshire.[1]
On the invitation of his maternal uncle, Thomas Stegge Jr., in March 1669, William Bird/Byrd immigrated to Virginia. In Virginia, the spellingByrd became standard. On October 27, 1673, he was granted 1,200 acres (5 km2) on the James River. Byrd became a well-connected fur trader in what would later become the Richmond, Virginia area. Some of Byrd's landholdings became (after his death) part of the site of modern-dayRichmond, Virginia. About 1673, he married a 21-year-old widow named Mary (née Horsmanden) Filmer, a native ofLenham, England.[1] Mary's father had spent time in Virginia as aCavalier fleeingCromwell, and her former husband Samuel Filmer (third son ofTory authorRobert Filmer) descended from the sister ofSamuel Argall, governor of Virginia.[2]
William Byrd I and his wife would become the parents ofWilliam Byrd II and three daughters. Their daughter, Ursula, at age 16, marriedRobert Beverley Jr., Major Robert Beverley's son. They had one child,William Beverley (1698–1756), and Ursula died in 1698, within a year of her marriage.[3] Colonel William Beverley marriedRichard Bland's daughter, Elizabeth Bland. They had four children. Their son, Robert, married Maria Carter on February 3, 1763. Her parents wereLandon Carter and Maria Byrd.
In 1676, Byrd was a sympathizer ofNathaniel Bacon inBacon's Rebellion, and took an active part in the rebellion, first by helping persuade Bacon to take unlawful command of a militia and lead it against the Indians. He also rode with Bacon after the rebellion began and was involved in the sack ofWarner Hall, confiscating goods amounting to £845, or the equivalent of what 40 slaves or servants would produce in a year.[4] He later allied himself with the Governor and became a prominent citizen.
Also in 1676, Byrd established the James River Fort on the south bank of the James River in what is now known as the Manchester District of Richmond. Byrd was elected to the VirginiaHouse of Burgesses in 1677 and later served many years on theGovernor's Council.[1]
In 1688,Theodorick Bland Jr. and his brother Richardconveyed 1,200 acres of theirWestover Plantation property to William Byrd I in 1688 for £300 and 10,000 pounds of tobacco and cask.[5] The mansion he built in 1690 were furnished with curtains, tables, chairs and bedsteads imported fromRotterdam.[6] Byrd's grandson built a Georgian mansion there in the 1750s.
Byrd died on 4 December 1704, at his plantation home ofWestover, inCharles City County, Virginia. He is buried near the original site of theWestover Church.[7]
