IN the name [of] god amen. I John washington of washington parish* in y Countie of westmerland† in Virginie gent, being of good & perfect * In the session of March 1655-6 the Assembly directed that all counties not already divided into parishes should be so divided by the next county court, as the "improvident saveing" of those who had neglected to do this, made the inhabitants "loose the greatest benefitt and comfort a Christian can have, by hearing the word and vse of the blessed sacraments." Hening, I., 400. The act was repeated in March 1657-8, and it must have been under one of these that Washington parish was laid off. In 1724 the parish was about thirty miles in length, five in breadth, and contained about 200 hundred families. There were two churches in it, one called the Round Hill church, and the annual salary of the minister 16,000 pounds of tobacco. "The gentleman who bequeathed my Glebe to the parish [William Horton, his will bore date 10 January, 1700], left the whole tract (containing 440 acres), to be disposed of by the vestry for the better maintenance of a minister and schoolmaster, the Vestry made no division of the land, but gave it to me as a glebe, with this proviso, that I provide a sufficient person to instruct the youth in reading, writing and arithmetic under my inspection, which condition I have complied with." Lawrence De Butts, minister of Washington Parish in 1724. Printed in Perry, Church in Virginia, 292. The glebe was directed to be sold in 1778. †The first mention of Westmoreland county is found in the Randolph MS., where in 1653, in the fourth year of the commonwealth, its bounds were laid off "ffrom Machoactoke river where Mr. Cole lives: And so vpwards to the ffalls of the great river of Pawtomake above the Necostins towne." Hening, (9) memory, memory, thankes be unto Almighty god (for it) & Calling to remembrance the uncertaine estate of this trans[itory] life, & that all flesh must yield unto death, when it shall plea[se] god for to Call, doe make Constitute ordaine & declare this my last will & testament in maner & forme following, reuoaking & anulling by thes presents all & euery testament & testa[ments], will & wills heirtofore by me made & Declared [either by word] or by writeing & [these?] be taken only for my last will & testament & noe other, & first being hartily sorry from the bottome of my hart for my siñs past, most humbly desireing forgiueness of the same from the Almighty god (my sauiour) & redeimer, in whome & by the meritts of Jesus Christ, I trust & belieue assuredly to be saued, & to haue full remission & forgiueness of all my sins & yt my soule wth my body at the generall day of ressurrection shall arise againe wth joy & through the merrits of Christ death & passion posses & inherit the Kingdom of heauen, prepared for his ellect & Chossen & my body to be buried in ye plantation wheire I now I., 381. The first session in which Burgesses sat for Westmoreland was that of November, 1654, when John Holland and Alexander Baynham were the representatives. In the session of October, 1666, Col. Nicholas Spencer and Col. John Washington appeared as the representatives. In 1675 the two men were associated again, with others, to deal with the Indians. Hening, II., 331. liue, by the side of my wife* yt is already buried & two Children of mine & now for the setling of my temporall estate & such goods Chatles & debts as it hath pleased god far aboue my Deserts, to bestow uppon me I doe giue & dispose the same in maner & forme following first I will yt all those debts & duties yt I owe in right or Conscience to any mañer of person or persons wt soever shall be well & truly Contented & payd or ordained to be payd by my executors— † *** Inprimis I giue & bequeath unto my eldest sonne [ ington y seat of land wheiron watts & Robert Hedges, being being by my father pope made ouer to me & my heirs lawfully begotten of my body Henery flagg by patten & Item I give unto my son Lawrence washington my watter Mill wth all appertinances & Land belonging to it a[t] the head of Rosiers Creik to him & his heirs foreuer, reserueing to my wife her thirds durring her Life. Item I giue unto my soñ Lawrence washington yt seate of Land wch I bought of M! Lewis Maruim, being about two hundred & fifty acres, at the mouth of rosiers Crieck on ye north west side, wth all the * Anne Pope. †Three or four words illegible. houseing |