Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-11-07


burg, its early colonial, revolu-
4 tionary and civil war history,
the sites of structures that were inti-
mateIy associated with the beginnings
of American history, and with various
old buildings of historic distinction
which still stand along the quiet streets
and in the venerable and peaceful gar
dens of the town.
There are numerous objects of rever-
ent interest which the Rambler has
heretofore touched on only briefly, and
in a cursory way. because he desired
to treat of them more at length. One
of the objects is Bruton Church. hal
lowed old pile whose foundation long
antedates that of the American repub-
lie, beneath whose roof thousands of
the ancestors of countless Americans
have prayed and listened to the word,
and under whose solemn aisles and in
the churchyard in the shadow of it's
walls sleep men and women whose
names and memories are bright in the
annals of Old Virginia.
As an institution that has survived
the centuries and yet remains young,
Bruton Church shares honors with the
college of William and Mary, and the
church commands from strangers in
the town more attention than the col
lege for while the college buildings are
grouped at one end of the Duke of
Gloucester street, the church stands
upon that street, with the shops, man
sions and cottages of Williamsburg all
around. and its ancient bell strikes
every hour of the day and night, and
with one stroke marks the passing OF
each half hour.
The parish name of Bruton IN Vir-
ginia dates from 1874, which was the
time of the union of the parishes OF
Marston and Middletown, and takes its
name from Bruton in the county OF
Somerset, England, which was the
home of Sir William Berkeley, royal
governor of Virginia for two periods,
the first 1912 to 1852 and the second
from 1860 to 1877. Bruton. England,
was also the home of the Ludwell fam
lily. influential in the affairs of the col
ony during the jamestown period. and
it is worth mentioning at this point
that the foundation of three houses at
jamestown built by Col. Philip Lud-
well. one of which was the statehouse.
have within a few years been I'M
earthed on Jamestown Island.
The parish of Middle Plantation was
created in 1882, the year of the laying
out of the palisaded settlement OF Mid
die tHc SclllcIHcHI "hiSH
later came to be plated and renamed
Williamsburg in honor of King Will
liam. Marston parish was created in
1854 and the church stood within a few
miles of Middle Plantation within the
lines of the plantation of Maj. Joseph
Croshaw, whose daughter Unity became
the wife of Col. JohnsWest, nephew
of Lord Delaware. The parish of Mid
die Plantation was united In 1858 with
a parish called Harop, which had been
created in James City county in 1914,
and these combined parishes were then
called the parish of MiddIetown. This
parish and the parish of Marston were
united as the parish of Bruton in 1874.
No vestry book of Middle Plantation
parish has been preserved and no ves-
exist: neither are any of the facts writ
ten in those books available to search
ers of today except the facts that in
1860 the minister of Marston parish
was the Rev. Edward Foliott and that
Joseph Croshaw and Robert Cobbs were
eestrymen. The register Of Marston
parish from 1860 to the creation of
Rruton parish Is existent, though con-
siderably mutilated.
The vestry book of Bruton parish was
opened April IS, 1874. and was a treas
ured relic of the church until the civil
war. when it was taken away by some
trace of it has ever been found. Its
fate was that of many of the church
and county records in Virginia. Pres
ent knowledge OF the contents of Bru-
toms vestry book from 1874 until it's
disappearance is derived mainly from
extracts. with comments on them, writ
ten in 1856 for the Church Review and