The House of Burgesses was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from its establishment in 1619 until 1776, a period spanning the entirety of the colonial history of the United States in the Colony of Virginia , which was then a part of British America . For a significant portion of its existence, from 1642 to 1776, the House of Burgesses played a crucial role in Virginian politics, functioning alongside the colonial governor , who was appointed by The Crown , and the Virginia Governor’s Council , which served as the upper house of the General Assembly. When Virginia declared its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1776, during the Fifth Virginia Convention , and subsequently became the independent Commonwealth of Virginia , the House of Burgesses was reorganized into the House of Delegates . This new body continues to serve as the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly to this day.

Title

Main article: Burgess (title)

The term “burgess” originally denoted a freeman of a borough , which in England was a self-governing town or settlement. This etymology hints at the early aspirations for local autonomy that would eventually find expression in the House of Burgesses.

History

Founding

The Colony of Virginia was initially established as a private enterprise by the Virginia Company , a joint-stock company , operating under a royal charter . The early years of the colony were marked by immense hardship, necessitating stern leadership and often severe governance from the early governors to ensure survival. The perpetual crises of famine, disease, and the constant threat of Native American raids, coupled with the struggle to establish viable cash crops and the scarcity of skilled and committed labor, underscored the urgent need to attract a sufficient number of new and responsible settlers for the colony to flourish.

In a significant move to incentivize immigration, the leaders of the Virginia Company issued instructions to the newly appointed governor, Sir George Yeardley , in November 1618. These instructions, often referred to as “the great charter,” laid the groundwork for a more structured colonial governance. They stipulated that immigrants who financed their own passage to Virginia would be granted fifty acres of land, thereby escaping the status of mere tenants. Crucially, the charter also declared that civil authority would take precedence over military control.

In 1619, acting upon these instructions, Governor Yeardley oversaw the election of twenty-two burgesses, representing various settlements and Jamestown itself. These elected representatives, alongside the royally appointed Governor and the six-member Council of State, constituted the first General Assembly . This initial assembly operated as a unicameral body. While the governor retained the power to veto any legislative actions, and the Virginia Company maintained ultimate control over the venture, this marked a pivotal moment: the settlers were granted a limited voice in the management of their own affairs, including the critical matter of finances.

Concurrently, a similar House of Assembly was established in Bermuda , an island also settled by the Virginia Company and subsequently managed by its offshoot, the Somers Isles Company . The first session of the Bermudian assembly convened in 1620.

It is worth noting that a group of Polish craftsmen , brought to the colony to contribute their expertise in the production of pitch, tar, potash, and soap ash, initially faced discrimination and were denied full political rights. Their protest, a work stoppage, was resolved when they were declared free and granted suffrage, a concession apparently negotiated with the Virginia Company. This early episode highlights the evolving and often contentious nature of political inclusion in the nascent colony.

First session

The inaugural session of the Virginia General Assembly, and thus the first representative legislature in the Americas, convened on July 30, 1619. Governor Yeardley presided over a six-day meeting held at the new timber church on Jamestown Island , Virginia. This unicameral Assembly comprised the Governor, the Council of State appointed by the Virginia Company, and the twenty-two locally elected burgesses.

The assembly’s proceedings were unfortunately cut short after just five days due to an outbreak of malaria . The official Journal of the Assembly recorded the somber note that on the third day, “Mr. Shelley, one of the Burgesses, deceased.” Despite the truncated session, the assembly managed to address several matters of colonial importance. The twenty-two members representing various constituencies were:

• From James City : William Powell and William Spence
• From Charles City : Samuel Sharpe and Samuel Jordan
• From the City of Henricus : Thomas Dowse and John Pollington
• From Kecoughtan : William Tucker and William Capps
• From Smythe’s Hundred : Thomas Graves and Walter Shelley
• From Martin’s Hundred : John Boys and John Jackson
• From Argall’s Gift Plantation: Thomas Pawlett and Edward Gourgainy
• From Flowerdew Hundred Plantation : Edmund Rossingham and John Jefferson
• From Lawne’s Plantation: Christopher Lawne and Thomas Washer
• From Ward’s Plantation: John Warde and John Gibbs
• From Martin’s Brandon : Thomas Davis and Robert Stacy

However, two burgesses, Thomas Davis and Robert Stacy, representing Martin’s Brandon, were ultimately excluded from the assembly. This exclusion was due to John Martin’s refusal to relinquish a clause within his land patent that exempted his borough from “any command of the colony except it be aiding and assisting the same against any foreign or domestic enemy.” This incident foreshadowed the ongoing tension between centralized control and local prerogative.

A depiction of the First Legislative Assembly in English America, 1619, offers a visual, albeit interpretive, representation of this foundational event.

Later 17th century

The fragile peace with Native Americans shattered with the devastating Indian massacre on March 22, 1622, which claimed the lives of nearly 400 colonists. This tragedy, compounded by severe epidemics in the winters preceding and following the massacre, created an environment of intense vulnerability. During this period, the governor and council frequently resorted to arbitrary rule, demonstrating a marked contempt for the assembly and stifling any form of dissent.

By 1624, the Crown’s government in London had received sufficient reports of the colony’s persistent troubles to revoke the charter of the Virginia Company. Virginia transitioned into a crown colony , with its governor and council now appointed directly by the Crown . Despite this shift, the Assembly managed to retain a degree of influence over local affairs, with a degree of informal royal assent, although formal royal confirmation of its existence did not arrive until 1639.

A significant administrative reform occurred in 1634 when the General Assembly divided the colony into eight shires , later to be renamed counties . These divisions were established for governmental, administrative, and judicial system purposes. By 1643, the expanding colony was comprised of fifteen counties. Within these counties, all official positions, including those of commissioners, judges, sheriffs, constables, and clerks, were appointive. The only elected officials at this level were the burgesses, chosen by popular vote. It is important to note that women were systematically excluded from voting. Initially, the right to vote was restricted to free and white men; by 1670, this franchise was further narrowed to property owners only.

In 1642, Governor William Berkeley advocated for the establishment of a bicameral legislature , a proposal that the Assembly promptly adopted. This reform led to the formal separation of the House of Burgesses from the Council of State, creating the distinct lower and upper houses.

The political landscape shifted again in 1652 when parliamentary forces under Oliver Cromwell asserted control over the colony, bringing Virginia under the authority of the English government. Even during this period, the colonists were permitted to retain the General Assembly as their governing body, with the stipulation that only taxes approved by the assembly could be levied. Nevertheless, a significant portion of the Virginia colonists remained loyal to Prince Charles and welcomed his restoration to the throne as King Charles II in 1660. While Charles II implemented policies that curtailed some colonial liberties—such as mandating that tobacco be shipped exclusively to England, on English ships, and at prices dictated by English merchant buyers—the General Assembly persisted as a vital institution.

During the tumultuous year of 1676, a majority of the members of the General Assembly were supporters of Nathaniel Bacon . They enacted legislation aimed at advancing popular sovereignty, strengthening representative government, and promoting greater equality of opportunity. Bacon himself was largely occupied with military campaigns against Native Americans during this period, taking little direct part in the legislative deliberations.

A notable legislative action occurred in 1691 when the House of Burgesses passed a measure abolishing the enslavement of Native peoples. However, despite this decree, many Powhatan individuals remained in various forms of servitude well into the 18th century, illustrating the complex and often contradictory realities of colonial policy.

The statehouse in Jamestown suffered its fourth fire on October 20, 1698. In the interim, the General Assembly convened in Middle Plantation , a location situated eleven miles inland from Jamestown . This temporary measure proved to be a permanent shift, as in 1699, the capital of the colony was officially moved to Middle Plantation, which was subsequently renamed Williamsburg .

Moving toward independence

The period leading up to the American Revolution was characterized by escalating tensions between the colonies and Great Britain, and the House of Burgesses found itself at the forefront of these conflicts. The French and Indian War in North America (1754–1763) had left the colonies with significant local losses and economic strains. The inevitable consequence was the imposition of higher taxes, which, along with the manner in which they were determined, ignited widespread colonial opposition that would fuel events for years to come.

In 1764, in a move to generate revenue from its North American colonies, the British Parliament passed the Sugar Act . This legislation imposed increased duties on non-British goods imported into the colonies. The same year, the Currency Act prohibited the American colonies from issuing their own paper currency, further exacerbating economic grievances. These acts were met with considerable anger and spurred the beginnings of colonial opposition, manifesting in widespread protests. By the end of 1764, many colonies had adopted non-importation agreements, a tactic of refusing to purchase imported British goods.

The British Quartering Act of 1765, which mandated that colonies provide barracks and supplies for British troops, further inflamed colonial sentiment. To raise additional funds for Britain, Parliament enacted the Stamp Act specifically targeting the American colonies. This act imposed taxes on a wide array of printed materials, including newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, legal documents, dice, and playing cards. The American colonists responded with organized resistance across the colonies. A clandestine network known as the Sons of Liberty emerged, dedicated to intimidating the stamp agents responsible for collecting the taxes. The effectiveness of this pressure was such that all appointed stamp agents in the colonies resigned before the Stamp Act could even be fully implemented. In response to these parliamentary actions, the Massachusetts Assembly proposed a congress of all colonies to coordinate efforts for the repeal of the Stamp Act. Delegates from all but four colonies attended this pivotal meeting. The colonists also intensified their non-importation campaigns and actively sought to boost domestic production.

In May 1765, Patrick Henry , a prominent figure in Virginian politics, introduced a series of resolutions that became known as the Virginia Resolves . These resolves vehemently denounced the Stamp Act and asserted that the British Parliament possessed no authority to tax the colonies, given that the colonists were not represented by elected members of parliament . Newspapers across the colonies widely published Henry’s resolves, including the more radical propositions that had not been formally passed by the assembly. The assembly also dispatched a significant document, the 1768 Petition, Memorial, and Remonstrance , to Parliament.

From 1769 to 1775, Thomas Jefferson represented Albemarle County as a delegate in the Virginia House of Burgesses. During his tenure, he actively pursued reforms concerning the institution of slavery. In 1769, he introduced legislation that would have allowed slave masters to control the emancipation of their enslaved people, thereby removing that discretion from the royal Governor and the General Court. Jefferson enlisted his cousin, Richard Bland, to champion the legislation, but the proposal was met with a strongly negative reaction.

In 1769, the Virginia House of Burgesses adopted several resolutions condemning the British government’s decision to station troops in Boston, a response to the Massachusetts Circular Letter circulated the previous year. These resolutions emphatically stated that only Virginia’s governor and legislature held the authority to tax its citizens. The burgesses also drafted a formal letter to the King, completing it just before the royal governor of Virginia dissolved the assembly.

The escalating conflict reached a critical point in 1774. Following Parliament’s passage of the Boston Port Act , which ordered the closure of Boston Harbor, the House of Burgesses adopted resolutions expressing solidarity with the colonists of Boston. This act of defiance led Virginia’s royal governor, John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore , to dissolve the assembly. Undeterred, the burgesses reconvened independently and issued calls for what would become the first of five Virginia Conventions . These conventions essentially functioned as meetings of the House of Burgesses, but without the presence of the governor and Council. Peyton Randolph , the Speaker of the House, served as the President of these conventions, which were responsible for electing delegates to the Continental Congress . The First Continental Congress subsequently adopted its Declaration and Resolves , which, among other things, asserted the equality of American colonists with all other British citizens, protested against taxation without representation, and declared that Britain lacked the authority to tax the colonists due to their lack of parliamentary representation.

In 1775, while meeting in convention, the burgesses heard Patrick Henry deliver his iconic “give me liberty or give me death!” speech and took steps to raise military regiments. The House of Burgesses was summoned one final time by Lord Dunmore in June 1775 to consider Lord North’s Conciliatory Resolution , a proposal from the British Prime Minister. Randolph, who was also a delegate to the Continental Congress, returned to Williamsburg to resume his role as Speaker. Randolph noted that the resolution had not been presented to the Congress but had instead been sent directly to each colony in an attempt to sow division and bypass the Continental Congress. The House of Burgesses rejected the proposal, a decision that was later echoed by the Continental Congress. The burgesses then established a Committee of Safety to assume governance in the absence of the royal governor. Lord Dunmore, having organized loyalist forces, was eventually forced to seek refuge on a British warship after suffering several defeats.

The year 1776 marked the end of the House of Burgesses. The final entry in its official records, the Journals of the House of Burgesses, reads: “6th of May. 16 Geo. III. 1776 … FINIS.” Edmund Pendleton , a member of the House of Burgesses and President of the Committee of Safety, who was present at this final meeting, wrote in a letter to Richard Henry Lee the following day: “We met in an assembly yesterday and determined not to adjourn, but let that body die.” Later that same morning, the members of the fifth and final Virginia Revolutionary Convention convened in the chamber of the House of Burgesses in Williamsburg, electing Pendleton as their president. This convention ultimately voted for independence from Britain. The former colony transformed into the independent Commonwealth of Virginia , and the convention proceeded to draft the Constitution of Virginia . This new constitution established a revised General Assembly , comprising an elected Senate and an elected House of Delegates . The House of Delegates thus inherited the mantle and functions of the former House of Burgesses.

Meeting places

This section requires further elaboration. While the core information is present, a more detailed account of the physical spaces where the House of Burgesses convened would enhance its comprehensiveness.

In 1619, the initial meeting of the General Assembly took place in the church at Jamestown . Subsequent sessions continued to be held in Jamestown for many years.

Around 1700, the seat of the House of Burgesses was relocated from Jamestown to Middle Plantation, a site that would soon be renamed Williamsburg . The burgesses met there initially, from 1700 to 1704, in the Great Hall of what is now recognized as the Wren Building at the College of William and Mary , while the Capitol building was under construction. When the first Capitol succumbed to fire in 1747, the legislature temporarily returned to the college until the second Capitol was completed in 1754. The present-day Capitol building in Colonial Williamsburg is a faithful reconstruction of the earlier of these two lost structures.

In 1779, with the move becoming effective in April 1780, the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia was transferred to Richmond during the American Revolutionary War . This relocation was undertaken primarily for safety reasons, seeking to distance the seat of government from potential British incursions.

Legacy

The House of Burgesses, upon Virginia’s independence, evolved into the House of Delegates in 1776. It maintained its position as the lower house of the General Assembly , the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia . Through this lineage, the Virginia House of Delegates is recognized as the oldest continuous legislative body in the New World , a testament to its enduring influence and historical significance.

In a symbolic tribute to the original House of Burgesses, the Virginia General Assembly traditionally convenes for a single day every four years in the restored Capitol building at Colonial Williamsburg , departing from its usual meeting place in the current Capitol in Richmond. The most recent such commemorative session, the 26th, took place in January 2016.

Further acknowledging its historical roots, the Assembly held a special session at Jamestown in January 2007 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of its founding. This event was part of the broader Jamestown 2007 celebration and included an address by then-Vice-President Dick Cheney.

In January 2019, in observance of the 400th anniversary of the House of Burgesses, the Clerk’s Office of the Virginia House of Representatives launched “DOME” (Database of House Members), a new searchable website designed to “[chronicle] the 9,700-plus men and women who served as burgesses or delegates in the Virginia General Assembly over the past four centuries.” This initiative provides an accessible resource for understanding the historical composition of Virginia’s legislature.

See also

• List of members of the Virginia House of Burgesses
• List of speakers of the Virginia House of Burgesses
• Virginia Slave Codes of 1705