The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-04
The Old Brick Church. Isle of wight
County, Virginia,
BY Richard S. Thomas, of smithfe!d,
Virginia.

Virginia.
The Indian name for the county Of
Isle of Wight VA Warrosquyoake,
speit in some sixteen or seventeen
different ways.
The first English settlement of his
county was made by Captain Chris
topher Lawne and his party in April.
1913. He landed at jamestown on
the eth of that month. They settled
at the point Of land IN Isle of Wight
then and ever since known as
~Lawne's Point eleven miles from
JAMESTOWN, which is separated from
the county of Surry by a creek still
called "Lawne'a Creek" and the
Point Is bounded on the north and
west by Lawne's Creek, and on the
east and south by James river. "
Christopher Lawne did not live
long enough to make any decided Inn
preston on the colony. He died in
less than Il year. probably. after his
arrival: for at n General Quarterly
Court held in London on the 18th
day OF June, 1929, there was q petit
ton from his executors to be relieved
OF some freight ION 500 weight OF
and loss the aid Mr.. Lawne hath
been putt unto and susteyned in his
private Plantation"
Any one who has sailed up South
ampton river m a seen the high
chalk cliffs OF the Isle of Wight, Eng
land, and has sailed up the James
and has seen the high cliffs of Isle
Of Wight at Days Neck. win see a
very striking resemblance between
the two, and will see a strong ply
steal reason for the name. Besides
this. the Worgley family just above
mentioned lived in the Isle of Wight,
England. Sir Richard Worsley was
knighted at White Hall on tho Sth
of February. 1911. IN the highest
point Of the Park of Appuldurcom-
bic. Is q granite obelisk, 20 teet high,
partly destroyed. ERECTED to the mem
DRY Of Sir Robert Worsiey the au-
thor of a complete history Of the
Isle of Wight, England. Newport,
the capital OF Isle of Wight. lies ON
the Medina, which is nHvigable TO
that point. The bearing of this will
be shown after awhile
Upon the cath OF October, 1921. n
patent was granted to Edward Ben
nett, "a gentleman who had deserved
singuiarly well OF the company befoAe
he was n member thereof" who now
joins with Robert Bennett, his broth
- q ktNH htBf4tN AZ
Wtseman; Mr.. Ayres, n divers other
associates, and they engaged to- trans
port one hundred persons t. Virginia.
They anne over In the Sea Flower. in
February, 1922. with one hundred and
twenty settlers, among whom We're
the Rev. William Bennett and George
Harrison, relatives Of Edward Ben
nett. and Ralph Hamor, n OF this
I council.
Population increased in the coun-
ty so rapidly between May. l6l9, and
March the ED, 1922. that 1t extend
ID from "Lawne's Point to and In
elusive of Days Neck" IL distance
Of twelve miles. ON that day there
was Killed in the indian massacre OF
March. 163a. on Edward Benefits
plantation alone. fifty-tour people,
among whom were EnsiRne Harrison
and Mistress Harrison. How bravely
they all defended themselves nay be
seen In the thrilling narrative in Cap
tain Smiths General IIiStory-
The massacre checked. but it III
not stop emigration. BY 1882 it had
flowed on across Pagan creek. Jones
creek, down to Chuckatuck creek.
which divides the county of Isle of
Wight from Nansenond on the south
up that creek by Brewers creek To
tho Nansemond line on the west. In
the last section OF the county. most
probably, lived Joseph Bridger.
His son.. General Joseph Bridger, died
on his White Marsh farm. on the 18th
day of April. 1886. aged 5S years,
~hig farm is located on Brewers
creek, and Captain James II. Davis,
who now owns the farm. sails !
vessels regularly from his wharf on
tina farm to Norfolk and elsewhere.
1t was Joseph Bridger, the father
of General Joseph Brfdger, whu sup
erintended the building OF the @
Brick Church. distant only some four
or five miles from Smithfeld, and
right on the main county road to
Suffolk. = .
The roof OF the Old Brick Church
fell in in June, 1887, and that brought
down nearly the whole of the east
ern wall. MIR. Emmett w. Maynard.
then recently from Surry county. was
engaged TO clear up and relnove all
of the debris caused by this fallen
roo and these fallen bricks. Whilst
engaged In this work he came across
a brick that looked like~t had some
thing unusual on 1t. With a sharp
pointed sttck he carefully removed
the mortar. until at first dimly, ana
then afterwards clearly, he saw the
figures 1882 on it. He did not know
the Significance OF those figures; but
when told OF tt, he made a careful
search for n other suggestive brick.
n finally found part OF "A brick In
side Of the church with a figure /
on 1t, n on the outside OF the
church he found another piece of
brick with a figure 3 on IT. On put
ting these two pieces together they
titted perfectly, but the intervening
figures 8 and 3 were gone-broken
out blythe force OF the fall of the
coof M the eastern wall. The whole
brick with the figures 1882 on 1t is
nov firmly Embedded in the wood