William Byrd II

Overview 1681 – 92 Educated in England & the Netherlands 1692 Appointed to the Virginia House of Burgesses 1696 Elected to the Royal Society 1698 – 1704 Acted as London agent for the Virginia Council of State 1709 – 44 Served as a member of the Virginia Council 1728 Wrote The History of the Dividing Line 1743 Became president of the Virginia Council 1841 Brought posthumously to the world’s attention through the first publication of his work

Southern Aristocrat Inherited Westover on the James River, a 26,000-acre plantation that he enlarged to 180,000 Born to wealth and power Educated in England & Netherlands Appointed auditor & receiver-general of Virginia in th century historians referred to him as a cavalier Implies support for Anglicanism (state church), monarchial government, opposition to Purtanism, and increased power to Parliament

While in England… In England as London agent for Virginia 1706 – 1715 Socialized with influentials in London Read and translated the classics Studied current science Admitted to the Royal Society, an English scientific academy Helped write a play

Returned to Virginia In 1726 Spent his time concerned with the colony’s social, economic, and political matters By the time of his death, he had a library of 3,600 books, second in size only to Cotton Mather (Boston’s leading minister)

Writings Did not seek or want to be published In the few preserved works, he paints an invaluable picture of colonial life. In his personal diary, he used a short-hand not able to be deciphered until the 1940s. He recorded all facets of his daily life Book translations, Greek and Latin classics Exercise Meals Business and recreation Prayers or lack of prayers Personal info: quarrels with his wife, slave punishment, fits of temper, lustful thoughts or dreams

Writings continued 3 long narratives Experiences of the survey party commissioned to settle the boundary dispute between Virginia and NC Investigation of the cost of iron manufacture Journey to the mines Surveying of a 20,000-acre tract of land at the junction of the Dan and Irvine rivers Includes some anecdotes, observations of other men, and the land and Indian customs Aristocratic prejudices become apparent

Religion Conventional attitude appears everywhere in his writings Thought inhabitants of Dismal Swamp were not religious, so he brought an Anglican chaplain with the surveying party to christen children, perform marriages, and conduct services for the backcountry people Kept religion at a distance from his personal life Preoccupied with affairs of the world, not spiritual matters Read the Bible, prayed, and even attributes his blessings to God, but doesn’t show his religion is any deeper than the surface His diary includes his adulterous relationships and angry exchanges with his wife.

“The History of the Dividing Line” Account of Byrd’s surveying expedition to determine the proper boundary between VA and NC Most famous writing

End Notes Compare with Byrd with his MA contemporary Samuel Sewell, often called the first Yankee (prominent MA citizen) Decline in fervency of religious attitude is in sharp contrast with the New England Puritan writers Byrd typifies what the Puritans feared: lukewarm religious devotion