1611 Settlement

1611In May 1611, Sir Thomas Dale arrived in Virginia with instructions from the London Company to find a secure and healthy area to establish a new town and principal seat for the colony.  In September 1611, Sir Thomas Dale moved up the James River to establish Henricus, the colony’s second settlement.

Sir Thomas Dale was an experienced officer, having served as a captain in the Netherlands.  He had been knighted at Richmond (England) on June 19, 1606, as Sir Thomas Dale of Surrey.  With the help of friends, Dale was appointed High Marshall of the colony. 

As High Marshall, Dale was responsible for enforcing the laws, determining punishment and leading military expeditions.  As Commander, Dale was also responsible for overseeing the construction and defense of the city. 

Men were assigned specific tasks.  While some cleared the land, others began construction of the palisades and buildings, while still others kept vigil over hostile Native Americans.  He already had “timber, pales, posts and railes” prepared “for the present impaling this new Towne to secure himself and men from the malice and trechery of the Indians.”

1611Henricus stood “upon a neck of very high land, three parts thereof environed with the main River.”  As a defensive measure, Dale erected a long fence known as a pale across the narrow end of the neck of land to make it an island.  Powhatan’s skilled bowman harassed the Englishmen as the fort and palisades took shape, sending arrows over the walls. 

Dale confidently expected that the new town would replace Jamestown as the principal seat of the colony.  The location upriver provided security from possible Spanish attack (Britain was hostile with Spain at this time); and the high bluffs provided a healthier environment than the swamps of Jamestown. 

The introduction of private land ownership, instituted by Sir Dale, drastically altered the development of Henricus.  By 1616 it is believed that approximately 50 persons were all that remained within the Citie walls.  Others also established their own private farms along the James River.

As the colonists began to prosper, their increased numbers and aggressive expansion further strained the relationship between the English and the Native Americans.  On March 22, 1622, Opechancanough, Powhatan’s younger brother and successor, led a raid against English settlements up and down the James River.  During this uprising, The Citie of Henricus was destroyed.  Although 1611Opechancanough did not succeed in driving the English from the area, some of the settlements were abandoned, including portions of Henricus.

Subsequent efforts to reestablish the town of Henricus failed.  In May 1625, more than three years after the devastating attack, only 22 inhabitants were reported residing in ten “dwelling-houses” at Henricus.

In 1637, fifteen years after the uprising, the site was included in a 2,000 acre tract patented by William Farrar.  Because it was owned by William Farrar, Sr., the peninsula became known as Farrar’s Island.

1611 Settlement