"furniture, sails, rigging and ground tackle" is accounted for in the
inventory. Tobacco was picked up at the planters' wharfs, as goods
shipped from England, through the Bridger agents, Micajah Perry and
Thomas Lane, were delivered on the sloop.
Livestock was kept at pasture at the home plantation, at John Cahan's
and at "Curowoak," the latter an 8000 acre grant. There were fifty-four
head of cattle, and seven calves, these probably for butchering,
thirteen cows and five yearlings for dairy supplies; eight oxen were
used for heavy hauling, and besides there were nine steers and four
bulls. Of old hogs, young hogs, sows, shoats and pigs there were
fifty-four and, in addition, seven sheep and fourteen horses.
Colonel Bridger owned 490 ounces of plate (silver) and had on hand, at
the time of his death, Spanish money valued at sixty pounds and English
money valued at forty-two pounds ten shillings.
In addition to these holdings, obligations due the merchant both in
money and tobacco, are recorded, showing the extent of the business he
carried on with the planters, who lived for the most part on the James
River and its estuaries. Among those indebted to the Bridger estate were
Colonel William Byrd for twelve pounds, John Pleasants for five pounds,
John Champion for 958 pounds of tobacco, Thomas Pitt for 2000 pounds of
tobacco and Colonel Christopher Wormeley in a bill of exchange amounting
to eight pounds. Besides, Perry and Lane in London held bills of
exchange to Bridger's credit amounting to 654 pounds.
Four indentured servants, with existing terms of service, and thirteen
Negroes including two small children, are listed by name in the
inventory. A Negro, obviously from the West Indies, was called
"Monsieur."
The enumeration of items in the two houses are of interest, as they show
the more elaborate type of furnishings, that began to flow into the
colony, after the middle of the century. The houses were heated as
customary in the seventeenth century by fireplaces, for numerous
andirons, either brass or iron, are listed together with tongs and
fire-shovels. Numerous candlesticks, some of brass, some of wire and
others of silver, illuminated the rooms in the evening. Chairs, rare in
the early part of the century, were not scarce by 1686, for they are
mentioned as caned, of leather, or covered either with serge or
turkey-work, as were several couches. Tables of various sizes, a great
looking-glass, a number of chests, several chests of drawers, and
pictures were among the furnishings.
The beds were of the usual two types--the bedstead with feather-bedding,
bolster and pillows being the more elegant, while the less important
folks were assigned flock beds. Both types had curtains and valances,
were supplied with blankets and sheets, the latter, either of canvas or
Holland, and there were several quilts. The use of rugs mentioned is
undetermined, for these often served as covering, or were hung on the
walls to keep out the drafts. However, there was a carpet in the "great
hall" of the new house, where also stood a clock, and unusual items as,
three pairs of steelyards (scales).
There was a plentiful supply of table-linen in cloths and napkins of
various qualities, the diaper linen (damask) being the best. The
tableware for the most part was of pewter, some four dozen plates being
listed, together with porringer, chafing-dish, fish-plates and
pie-plates. Among the silver was a punch bowl, candlesticks, serving
dish, several spoons and the cover of a tobacco box.
The family was one of some learning for a parcel of books is listed; and
evidently Colonel Bridger was interested in the mysteries of the times,
for a book on _Witchcraft_ and another on _Astrology_ are mentioned
particularly.
In addition to the planter's usual possession of arms for family
protection, in a capacity of high ranking officer of the militia,
Colonel Bridger had on hand several guns, a case of pistols and
holsters, and a pair of pocket pistols, a hanger (type of cutlass),
three rapiers, one with a silver hilt, and ammunition.
Among the interesting items in his possession were a parcel of
Virginia-made cloth and fourteen pairs of Virginia stockings. As these
were in the home, it is possible that they were made on the plantation.
The size of some of the kitchen utensils and equipment point to a
kitchen, with a very large fireplace, occupying an end of the room,
where all food was prepared and cooked over the burning coals of a
plentiful supply of wood. There were two great copper kettles weighing
sixty-one pounds and forty pounds respectively, a brass kettle weighing
fifty pounds, and two great andirons weighing 105 pounds, two iron pots
weighing forty pounds each, four pot hooks, a heavy mall, three spits
and skillets of several sizes. In the room adjoining the kitchen the
milk was cared for, as there were eleven milk-pans, an "earthen" pan and
three "earthen" butter-pots.
In the cellar was the gentleman's supply of drink, cider for family use,
a cask of brandy, a cask of old whiskey, and a malt-mill listed as worn
out.
While it is not practicable to mention here all of the goods carried in
the store and the storehouse, certain of the items are of special
interest, such as materials used for wearing apparel of the period,
accessories of dress, utensils and agricultural tools available in
Virginia. About twenty different materials of varying qualities were
imported from England. They were woven for the most part of flax, hemp
or wool, or combinations, with some cotton, not generally in use, but
available in a few materials.
_Osnaburg_, a coarse, heavy linen suitable for work clothes, or for
sails, was available in quantities, in brown, for the former and white,
for the latter; _canvas_, a closely woven cloth, of hemp or flax, was
used for various purposes and appears to have been of different weights,
for often canvas sheets are mentioned, which undoubtedly were of the
lighter grade; _dowlas_, very much in use in the Colony, was a coarse
linen made in the north of England and in Scotland, and today replaced
in use by calico. Various weights of _serge_ were listed, similar, no
doubt, to the serge the present knows, for it was used for suits, coats
and dresses. _Linsey_, a coarse cloth, was made of linen and wool, or
occasionally of cotton and wool; _kersey_, a knit woolen cloth, usually
coarse and ribbed, manufactured in England as early as the thirteenth
century, was especially for hose; _lockram_ was a sort of a coarse linen
or hempen cloth, and _penniston_, a coarse woolen frieze. _Shalloon_, a
woolen fabric of twill weave was used chiefly for linings; _fustian_ was
a cotton and linen cloth, and _diaper linen_ was woven of flax with a
raised figure such as in damask, and used chiefly for table-linen.
In addition, the Bridger store had on its shelves, colored calico, a
small amount of flannel, some broadcloth, and a small parcel of silk
valued at one pound. There was also thread in brown and other colors,
knitting-needles, pins, horn-combs, combs made of ivory and knives of
various descriptions. For trimming garments, there was guimpe, colored
tape, Holland tape and Hamburg, the latter an embroidered edging,
buttons, some silk covered. Other items included skeins of twine,
whalebone, scissors, and 132 pounds of soap.
Among the building supplies were quantities of nails of all sizes, which
ever seemed to be in great demand in the Colony. For the field, there
were narrow hoes and weeding-hoes, axes of different types, as well as a
whipsaw.
For home furnishings, are listed such items as feather bedticks and
bolsters, Irish bedticks, plain rugs, matting rugs, the latter showing
importations from the Orient to England and thence to the Colony. Also,
there were blankets, curtains and valances for tester beds, counterpanes
of serge, table-knives with white handles, black handles, and ivory
handles; in pewter, the store offered porringers, plates, serving-dishes
and candlesticks. Among supplies, in addition to soap and twine, there
were fifty-five bushels of salt and a barrel of coarse sugar.
The colonists, used to their drink, found an ever-flowing cheap supply
from the West Indies in rum, distilled there from molasses produced from
sugar cane. This drink was stocked especially for the servants in the
Colony. The Bridger store had on hand six barrels and one hogshead of
rum, the entire contents being approximately two hundred and fifty-five
gallons. In addition, there had been laid aside "for Colonel Powell's
hands" sixty-five gallons of rum.
In wearing apparel, the store was stocked with shoes for men, women and
boys, hose for men and women, hats at various prices, bodices for women,
"plaines" for men and boys and "falls" for men and boys.
The little pest, the moth, had made its appearance in Virginia, for in
goods accounted for, are four pairs of moth-eaten hose and a piece of
moth-eaten kersey.
No firearms are listed in the salable goods on hand but 106 pounds of
shot are valued at 12s 6d.
Urban folks, coming to Virginia in the early twentieth century, and
visiting rural areas, were wont to comment upon the inevitable
horse-collars and harness that usually held a prominent place in the
cluttered country store. They were no less indispensable to travel over
the dirt roads of that time than were the harness accessories in the
Bridger store, such as snaffles and check-bits, stirrup-leathers,
halters and girths. While, as hereafter mentioned, the waterways in
Virginia served as open travel routes, the use of the horse was more or
less general by the latter part of the century, at least among the
well-to-do, for riding about the plantation, for visiting, and for sport
in racing. As noted, Colonel Bridger owned fourteen horses.
The shares in the estate of Colonel Bridger's three married daughters
were claimed by their husbands and are recorded by items. It is of
interest to note that Thomas Godwin, husband of Martha Bridger, was
speaker of the House of Burgesses, in 1676, that Thomas Lear, who
married Elizabeth Bridger, was a prominent planter of Nansemond County,
and Richard Tibboth, husband of Mary Bridger, was master of the ship
_Anne and Mary_, which plied between England and "James River in
Virginia."
THE STATUS OF WOMEN
Notwithstanding the declaration by Virginia's first representative
legislative Assembly in session at Jamestown, 30 July 1619, that "in a
new plantation it is not known which be the most necessary, man or
woman," the plantation representatives saw fit to extend to the married
women only one benefit for having come to the colony, and that was the
continuation of the bonus of fifty acres of land in control of their
husbands. A married woman in the Colony had no title whatsoever to
possessions during her husband's lifetime. She could not hold land in
her name; any bequest from the estate of her parents became her
husband's property, and the receipt of it was acknowledged in Court by
him. Colonel Joseph Bridger sought through terms in his will, dated
1683, to prevent the husband of his daughter Martha from coming into
possession of her inheritance, stipulating that his bequest to her was
for her sole use and, should her husband desire to dispose of it, then,
the inheritance should not come into his hands but should remain under
control of the executrix. Nevertheless, Thomas Godwin signed a receipt
for his wife's portion, according to law, and despite the Colonel's last
wishes, it became his sole possession.
If a woman married a second or third time, land and possessions held in
her name, during her widowhood, immediately became the property of the
next husband. For that reason, women, on contemplating a second
marriage, and wishing the children by a former husband to have the
benefit of their father's holdings, either gave them title to the
possessions, just prior to the intended marriage, or exacted from the
prospective husband an agreement to give the child or children
possession of their rightful inheritance, upon arriving at age. This
agreement was duly recorded in the court records.
Now and then, a marriage agreement was so drawn, that the prospective
husband's plantation was assured to his intended bride and her heirs,
and could therefore never come into possession of a second wife or her
heirs. A most careful legal maneuvering to this end is recorded in a
marriage agreement, 1652, between Frances Culpeper and Captain Samuel
Stephens. On the eve of marriage, the intended groom conveyed his 1350
acre plantation, "Bolthrope" on the Warwick River, in trust to Warham
Horsmanden and George Hunt, who then according to agreement, reconveyed
the land to Stephens during his lifetime. At his death, according to the
terms stipulated, Frances (Culpeper) Stephens his wife came into sole
possession.
About the same time, 1651, John Chew of York County, was able to have
drawn a less exacting contract on the eve of his second marriage. While
he agreed to give, to his prospective bride Mrs. Rachel Constable, the
plantation upon which he then lived, a provision was inserted that
should she predecease him without heirs, the contract was void. A
marriage contract drawn, 1667, between John Savage of the Eastern Shore
and his intended second wife Mary Robins, stipulated that his "home
plantation at the bottom of the neck" should go to her heirs.
As stated, provision for children of a first husband were often a part
of the marriage agreement. Mrs. Sarah Fleete exacted from Colonel John
Walker, before the nuptials, a pledge that he would give to her daughter
by a first marriage, 400 pounds of lawful money of England within the
expiration of six months, or at Mary Burden's arrival at the age of
sixteen years. When Mrs. Elizabeth Sheppard of Surry County agreed to a
marriage with Thomas Warren, the contract, duly recorded, was very
specific. Warren was to have full control of her first husband's estate,
with certain exceptions of livestock to be given to Mrs. Sheppard's
children. Her stepchildren, as provided in the contract, were to have
their full inheritances left them by their father.
Mrs. Elizabeth Mihill, widow of Edward Mihill of New Poquoson (later
Charles) Parish, was much less generous with her prospective bridegroom
in a contract drawn, 1661. Being about to marry William Hay, Gentleman,
of the same Parish, Mrs. Mihill placed everything she owned in the hands
of her kin, forever barring the third husband from coming into
possession of the holdings of the two prior spouses. She deeded to her
son Robert Sheild, by her first husband, all the land and buildings left
to her by her second husband, and further directed that should her son
leave no heirs, then, her brother Arthur Bray of London should have the
estate. The only concession which she made to her prospective third
husband was an agreement that he should have one acre of land, but the
condition of this gift was that he grind for her son Robert, toll free,
100 bushels weekly, and allow her son also the use of the timber on the
land. In addition, she gave her cattle and a servant to her son, and
assigned gifts of her possessions to other relatives. To these unusual
terms, William Hay, evidently an ardent suitor in pursuit of the widow,
agreed, and upon her marriage to him shortly thereafter, he dutifully
came into Court and acknowledged his assent to the terms of the
settlement.
As the death rate in Virginia in the seventeenth century was high,
remarriages were frequent, both on the part of the men and the women.
Colonel Thomas Swann of Surry County had five wives as did Major Joseph
Croshaw of York County. Women frequently married three or four times.
Upon the decease of their husbands, they often found themselves in
possession of large isolated plantations. Often, there were indentured
white servants, some negroes, and generally a number of children under
age. How to manage alone, and thus encumbered, was the problem, and they
solved it frequently by marrying shortly a neighbor. He, probably a
widower, took charge of the first husband's holdings, settled the
involved estate, and gave much needed protection to the woman in a
sparsely settled area. This was the case with Mrs. Elizabeth Hansford of
York County, who, at the death of her husband, faced the task of
managing a plantation, seeing to cultivation of the land, disposing of
his maritime interests, and at the same time, seeing to the interests of
seven children. Overwhelmed with possessions, and already having her
hands full with her domestic affairs, she knew not where to turn for a
solution except to a second husband. Ere long, she married the York
County merchant Edward Lockey, who at once began the settlement of her
late husband's estate, entering an inventory in York County Court
records, 1667.
In the very early period of the colony, the grief of the widow was of
short duration, for a suitor usually stood at her doorstep almost as the
funeral procession ended. The most generally known, of such incidents,
was the pursuit of Cicely Jordan, upon the death of her husband Samuel.
Within two days Reverend Greville Pooley pressed his suit. The widow
tentatively agreeing, but evidently pregnant with the unborn child of
her deceased husband, insisted that she would marry no man until she was
"delivered." In the meantime, William Farrar, named administrator of her
deceased husband's estate, also pressed his suit and gained favor;
whereupon, the cleric entered in the Court a suit for breach of promise.
The contest over the widow finally was referred to the authorities in
London, who declined to pass upon "so delicate a matter." Mr. Pooley,
probably then finding his cause hopeless, withdrew his case in Court,
and by 1625, the charming widow had married William Farrar.
Custom frowned upon the ladies of the seventeenth century going into
Court. While the law required that they sign or give assent to their
husbands' deeds for sale of land or property, when the time arrived that
the deed must be acknowledged in Court, the wife requested some male
friend to represent her and acknowledge the deed. Mrs. Elizabeth
Sheppard, in 1654, wrote a note asking her "dear brother Cockerham" to
represent her in Court. The same year, Daniel Llewellyn acknowledged a
deed in Charles City Court, for his stepdaughters Sara Woodward and Anne
Gundry.
Notwithstanding the limitations put upon women of the seventeenth
century, both by custom and by law, their husbands evidently had
complete confidence in their discretion and their abilities to direct
wisely the disposition of estates, which came into their hands. Their
business experience was confined to household management and plantation
activities, but these were enterprises of no mean proportions, and the
successful handling of such matters by the women impelled the men, very
frequently, to name in their wills their wives as executrices. At the
same time, overseers were also named to assist in handling the details.
Colonel Bridger named his wife Hester as executrix to dispose of his
large landed estate and his extensive mercantile business, but directed
that her brother and their mutual friend Arthur Smith assist her, which
they did very ably.
Perhaps, there is no more outstanding example of an astute woman of the
seventeenth century and her courage than that which the experiences of
Sarah Bland set forth. She was the wife of John Bland of England, and
the daughter-in-law of the well known merchant of the same name, who, as
an active member of the Virginia Company of London, developed large
plantation interests in Virginia, and a thriving mercantile business.
Sarah Bland's only surviving son Giles had come to Virginia about the
time of the untimely death of Theodorick Bland, who had managed the
Bland interests in Virginia. Giles was a young "hot head," joined with
the Bacon forces, and upon the collapse of that abortive revolution in
the Colony, was apprehended, promptly condemned by Governor Berkeley's
Court held at "Greenspring" and executed. Two years after her son's
untimely death, and when some of the drastic measures confiscating the
holdings of the deceased rebels had been lifted, Mrs. Sarah Bland, armed
with power-of-attorney from her husband, crossed the seas alone to look
into and settle the huge Bland estate. While she was in Virginia, her
husband died in England, and Thomas Povey, who was named joint
executor with her of her husband's estate, also conveyed to her
power-of-attorney. She gathered the loose ends of the Bland holdings in
Virginia and divided them among the heirs. An entry in the Isle of Wight
County Court records, listing ten Bland plantations, indicates the
proportions of her task.
Divorce in Virginia rarely occurred. There was no Ecclesiastical Court
and, therefore, no source of authority to which dissatisfied couples
might turn. The Governor and Council were vested with the power to grant
separations, which were seldom sought. One of the very few cases of
separation and remarriage was that of Elizabeth, sister of Colonel
William Underwood and ex-wife of Doctor James Taylor. After petitioning
the Governor and Council for a separation, she married as her second
husband Francis Slaughter, merchant and planter of Rappahannock County,
who was deceased by 1656, his will naming his wife and mother-in-law.
Incidently, Elizabeth had, in all, four husbands before her death in
1673.
Lest conclusion be drawn that all women in Virginia were _ladies_,
women whose husbands had large plantations and who were to the manner
born, acknowledgement must be made that there were some who were not
gentlewomen. Some quarrelled outrageously with one another, some
gossiped endlessly, and a few went to the extremes of dragging their
husbands into Court to settle disputes with one another, thus,
cluttering up the busy calendar of the County Justices.
The Court sitting at Westover in Charles City County, 3 August 1664,
arrived at a means of disposing of these cases and silencing, perhaps,
public display of temper. The ducking stool on Herring Creek had just
been equipped, the year before, with new irons and so was in good
repair. Whereupon, the Justices ordered that "Goody" Spencer and "Goody"
Goodale for their "scurrilous brawls and frivilous litigations" be each
ducked three times at the public place prepared for that purpose, at or
near the next full tide, and that "each bear his own particular costs
and charges."
The costs levied, the discomfort of being immersed, not to speak of the
ridicule that such an event aroused on the part of the people assembled
to witness the punishment, no doubt had a very sobering effect on
tempers. There was also a ducking stool on Wormeley's Creek in York
County, and another at Lynnhaven in Lower Norfolk. It would thus seem
that these and similar cases were not altogether rare in the Colony.
SERVANTS
To interpret accurately the meaning of the frequently used term
_servant_ is a difficult matter. It appears to have covered a wide range
of classifications in seventeenth-century Virginia. The designation was
often used in the modern sense of employee and, occasionally, members of
a family are listed in an enrollment as _servants_ with the obvious
meaning of dependents. This was the case in the muster of William Gany,
1625, whose child Anna heads the list of his "servants." Also, with
Thomas Palmer and his family, Richard English, aged eleven years, was
living in 1625, but is listed as a "servant." Abraham Wood, aged ten
years, is listed in 1625 as a "servant" of Captain Samuel Mathews. These
children obviously do not come within the twentieth century meaning of
the word.