Fleeing the Redcoats in 1781: Mary Randolph, wife of Archibald Cary

Mary (Randolph) Cary was the wife of prominent Chesterfield merchant and legal mind, Archibald Cary. She lived at a home called “Ampthill” and governed the house there when her husband ran the fields, mills, and for several years the government of Virginia. When the British Army invaded her home in the Spring of 1781 she was forced to flee and live elsewhere, the stress of which may have greatly weakened her health. She and her husband were often the faces of the American Revolution and they paid severely for that. Our program will feature an interpreter who will look at Mary’s harrowing war years and the stress for many Chesterfield civilians when the British invaded in 1781.

Early Virginia history had many women influence what unfolded during the first 300 years. Henricus’ series “Summ-Her of History” will profile who those people were and what events were shaped by these women or how the events taking place shaped the women in those changing times. Several living history experts from the region will be set up on site to tell and demonstrate these fascinating and gripping stories. 

Date: Saturday, August 19

Time: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

Cost: $12/adult, $8/children aged 5-12; Henricus Members: free (This program is included in cost of general admission)