Kent-Virginia links
This page provides a sample of Virginia documents and
illustrations, in the care of the Kent Archives and Local History
Service, reflecting the fluctuating fortunes of the colony and of
its relationship with the mother country.
The first permanent English settlement in America was at
Jamestown Virginia in 1607. The original charter of the Virginia
Company set out the aims of its members very clearly:-
"at the humble suite and request of sondrie oure lovinge and well
disposed subjects intendinge to deduce a colonie and to make
habitacion and plantacion of sondrie of oure people in that parte
of America comonlie called Virginia, and other part and territories
in America either apperteyninge unto us or which are not actually
possessed of anie Christian prince or people…"
The 'adventurers'
were of two different sorts - those who were prepared to put
up money for the venture in the hopes of getting a good return for
their investments and those whose sense of adventure and commitment
led them to travel and make their homes in Virginia. The appeal of
the Virginia Committee to the Borough of Sandwich for men and money
lays out clearly their motivation in this venture:-
"The eyes of all Europe looking upon o[u]r endevours to spread the
gospell among the Heathen people of Virginia to plant o[u]r English
nation theare, & to settle a tr[ade] in those p[ar]ts w[hi]ch
may be peculier to o[u]r nation, to thend wee may thereby bee
secured from being eaten out of all proffitt of trade by o[u]r more
industrious neighbours".
The death rate
of the new settlers through starvation, disease and hostilities
with the Indian tribes, was reflected in the constant need to
obtain more financial support to send out men and provisions to the
fledgling colony. This can be seen in the investments of the Tufton
family and in the great Lionel Cranfield's list of necessaries.
The Filmer family were of the second generation of settlers, who
lived and died in the new colony, one of their members leaving
money in his will towards what was considered to be the most
important of institutions there, the church.
The Leeds Castle
connection spanned almost 150 years, from the excitement and
idealism of Thomas, second Lord Culpeper in the
late seventeenth century, through the Indian Wars and the
growth of republicanism in the mid eighteenth century to the
American War of Independence, the loss of the colony to Britain and
the confiscation of British lands, mirrored in Bryan Martin's
letters to the family homes at Loose and Leeds Castle.
