I 



(Jffiiiii/ Port Towns in P^irgiiiid 

 On\(^iiis of M(ir/horoii(^li 



ESTABLISHING THE PORT TOWNS 



The dependence of 17th-century Virginia upon 

 the sini»le crop — tobacco — was a chronic problem. 

 A bad crop year or a depressed Enghsh market could 

 plunge the whole colony into debt, creating a chain 

 reaction of o\ erexlended credits and failures to njeet 

 obligations. Tobacco exhausted the soil, and soil 

 exhaustion led to an ever-widening search for new 

 land. This in turn brought alxiut population 

 dispersal and extreme decenlrali/ation. 



.After the Restoration in iWiO the X'irginia colonial 

 government was faced not only with these economic 

 hazards but also with the resulting administrative 

 dilliculties. It was awkward to govern a scattered 

 population and almost impossible to collect customs 

 duties on imports landed at the planters' own wharves 

 .ilong hundreds of miles of inland watenvays. The 

 loyal governors and responsible pei-sons in the 

 Assembly reacted therefore with a succession of 

 plans to estalilish towns that would be the sole 

 ports of entry for the areas they ser%'ed, thus making 

 theoretically simple the task of securing customs 

 revenues. The towns also would Ih" centers of busi- 

 ness and manufacture, di\eniifying the colony's 

 economic supports and lessening its dependence on 

 tolNicco. To men of English orii;in this eslablishmrni 

 of port coinniiiiiilirs Miiist Imvc srrmrd n.itm.il .ind 

 lonic.il. 



The lirst sucli propos.il (>ccame l.iw in lt>»>2, 



est.il)li.>liiin; a port town for eacli ol tlic m.ijiu ii\er 

 valleys and for the Eastern .Shore. But the law's 

 sponsors were doomed to disappointment, for the 

 towns were not built.' After a < 

 a new act was passixl in 1680, thi- 

 mentcd and further reaching. It provided for a port 

 town in each county, where ships were to deliver 

 their goods and pick up tobacco and other exports 

 from town warehouses for their return voyi 

 One of its most influential supporters was Wiiii.un 

 I'il/hui;!) of .Si.ilTord County, a wealliiy planter and 

 distinguished leader in the colony.' "Wc have now 

 resolved a cessation of making Tob" next v 

 he wrote to his London agent, C'-aplain Part. 

 MJtK). "We are also going to make Towns, if you 

 can meet with anv tradesmen that will come and live 



' \\ II I I VM U M I I H II 



Collnhtm o/ All ihf A^it ' 



pp. 17;; 176. 



» Ihid.. vol. 3. pp 471 -♦TH 

 •William I 

 fainily ihAt I- 



County rinirl. huntrja, inrnh.tni 

 rpitoini/rd (he l.imlrd .iri«i.» i ii n 

 "l^llrn of Willi.iin Fit.- 

 /Jiofra^Ar (RichnK"- ' 

 ivitrd I7/.W\ nml 



/>.-', />(/». rdil Ki. 

 I 1 .• I 'ilv of North < '-.It' 

 .Soticty. 1963). 



York, 11 



