The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-08-16
HISTORY

ported to England. touored from
VIM. Writ Henry's Paper on the First
Legislative Assembly in America.
Magazine of American Hist. Aeso..
1ss4,.
THE mos. convenient place We
could find to sett in, was the Quire
of the Church, whore Sir George
Yeardley. the Governor, being set
down In his accustomed place. those
OF the Counsel of Estate, safe nexte
to him on both handles. except only
the Secretary, then appointed speak
err who safe right before him; John
Irvine, Clerk OF the General Assem-
bly,, being placed next the speaker.
and Thomas Pterse. the Sergeant.
standing at the barre to be ready for
any service the Assembly shoulde
mems affaires do little prosper where
Gods service is neglected, all the Bur-
gesses tooke their places in the Quire
till n prayer was said by Mr.. Buckle.
the Minister. that II would please
God to guide and sanctify all our
proceedings to His Glory, and the
good of this plantation. Prayer being
ended. to the intent that as we had
begun at God Almighty. so we might
proceed with as full and due respect
towards the Lieutenant, our most
\
Burgesses We're entreated to retyre
themselves into the body of the
church, which being done, before they
were freely admitted, they were called
10 order and by name. and so every
man (none staggering at ~ took the
oathc of Supremacy and then enter
ed the Assembly"
And now let us call the roll-"hy
name" as was done on that occasion
three hundred years ago, with Sir
George Yeardiey. the governor, In his
green velvet chair in the "duire." in
his accustomed place" with the coun-
sci OF estate nexte him on both
handles. except only the Secretary,
John Pory. then appointed speaker,
who safe right before him; John
Twine, clerke of the General Assem-
bly, nexte the speaker and Thomas
Pierse. the Sergeant, standing at the
barre ready for any service the AS
sembly should commando him.
The Counsel of Estate" seated on
either hand Of the governor were
Captain Frances West, son of Sir
Thomas West, Second Lord De La
WAR. and had held high office in the
colony including the command at the
Falls of James river: Captain Ma
thaniel Powell, who had accompanied
Newport in his exploration of the
Virginia waters. He and his wife
persisted March %. 1922. in the great
Indian massacre. John Rolph came
to Virginia with Governor Gates and
he needs no introduction to this as
sembly in which are so many of his
descendants. The Rev. William Wick
ham, one of the pious clergy. whose
lives and teaching honored our early
history. Captain Samuel Maycolk.
or ri q ND n urhn Hka Gan
tain Powell persisted later in the In
dian massacre. John Pory, the secre-
tary, now holding the new dignity of
speaker.
ORGANIZATION
And now we come to the burgesses.
Captain William Powell and Ensign
Spence sat for James City. Samuel
Sharp and Samuel Jordan. of Jor-
dams Journey. sat for Charles City.
1t was the latters widow Mistress
Cicelg Jordan, who in 1923 used with
the Rev. Creville Pooley and Mr. Will
liam Ferrar to several persons such
words or speech tending to a contract
OF marriage at one time as might en-
tangle or breed scruples in their con-
sciences that the matter was brought
before the council and was actually
referred Ia the council in London.
Thomas Dowse and John Palentine
sat for the city OF Henricus. where the
university was projected Captain
William Tucker and William Capp
represented Kicoughtan. Captain
Thomas Graves and Walter Selley sat
! for Smiths Hundred. Later the
| former sat for Accomaek. The latter
! died three days after he had taken
| his seat in this first house of burgess
es. John Boys and John Jackson sat
fsnt. IA, tlt,'p JJ,ty, Iva 70 ~,
Thomas pawlett and Mr.. Gourgainy
/ sat for Argalrs CUTIE. Ensign Ros-
1 Bingham and Mr.. Jefferson represent
| ed Fiouerdien Hundred Captain
| Christopher Lawne and Ensign Wash
err represented Lawne's Plantation. af-
| forwards the Isle OF Wight.
Captain Warde and Lieutenant
! Gibbes sat for Warde's Plantation,
Thomas Davis and Robert Stacy rep
resented Martins Plantation. but
| later were unseated on Captain Mar
| tins refusal to surrender his privi-
lege of exemption from the Virginia
laws save in time of war.
Such is the roll OF the first mem
bership Of this historic assembly
whose acts formed "A link in the gold
en-. unbroken chain of Nirginia's self
government and struggle for liberty
They were nearly all men of educa-
. ton, nearly all gentlemen. and al
men OF action. Their names for the
most part may not survive in Vir
GINA; but if their names have passed
| away their work still survives to bless
their descendants and the descend
ants of their successors Throughout
this broad land.
Among the rights which the Vir-
ginians esteemed. and justly, the mos
precious, was the right Of exemption
1 from all taxation save as II might be
: levied by their representatives--tha al
! is, by themselves. This was a power
greater than the crown, greater thar
the sword. The crown and the sword
were held in check by II and this they
cherished and fought for down to its
| smallest fraction: for 1t underlay al
the rest OF their liberties. 1t had been
wrestied from the crown in Englan
and had become an established RICH,
| OF the peopi, as far back as the time
| of Edward /. And the Virginia char
! tor had conceded 1t to-the colony. And
now the Virginians had their parlia
ment In their general assembly and
J among their earliest measures was
/ their assertion of this great right.
( As early as 1923 the general as
! sembly enacted that 1.-THE governor
! shall not lay any taxes or inpositions
upon the colony, their lands or com
modities, other way than by the au-
! thority of the general assembly to be