When Alexander Spotswood came to Virginia as Lt. Governor, in 1710, he quickly made friends with William Byrd. Byrd had a suggestion for Spotswood, which appealed to the Lt. Gov. On his land, near the future site of Richmond, Byrd had iron ore. He was willing to give it over to the colony of Virginia, if they would give him a responsible job in return. The idea of Virginia manufacturing iron appealed to Spotswood, because it did make sense. Virginia had all of the requirements that were needed iron ore, wood, and water power. England itself was not as rich in these resources as Virginia was, especially with regards to wood. This was the basis of the proposal that Spotswood laid before the House of Burgesses, and, after they rejected it, he suggested that the Queen herself might like to sponsor the project. The Board of Trade and Plantations reminded Spotswood that the proposal was against the trade patterns between England and its colonies. The proposal died.
[Willis Kemper completely misinterpreted these events, saying that Spotswood had found the iron. Spotswood himself did make an error, and said that the iron was newly discovered, which it was not. The particular bed of iron ore had been known for a century, and a furnace had even been built in 1622, which was overturned by the Indians. Byrd wanted to reestablish this furnace on the James River.]
Within a few years, Spotswood and Byrd had a falling out, and became enemies. Byrd even went so far as to go to England, where he testified against Spotswood. But the Board of Trade and Plantations told Byrd to patch things up between Spotswood and the Council (of which Byrd was a member), or they both might be out of a job. Byrd did return to Virginia, and he was able to report that a reconciliation had been worked out. Eventually, Byrd and Spotswood became friends again, and Byrd could ask Spotswood for advice, and he was welcomed in the Spotswood home.
Altogether, there were three William Byrds, which we might call I, II, and III. We are primarily concerned with Byrd II, who is the son of I, and the father of III. Byrd I was the founder of the family fortune, starting with an inheritance, which he augmented by shrewd business acumen. In doing so, he established the family as a power in Virginia. Byrd II was the ornament of the family, and shrewd enough to preserve, and add to, the family fortune. He did commit one business error, which was to haunt him for the balance of his life. Byrd III, by his vices and bad management, squandered the family's fortune.
William Byrd I was the son of John Byrd, a London goldsmith of moderate means. John married Grace Stegg, daughter of Captain Thomas Stegg, a merchant and ship captain, engaged in the Virginia trade. Capt. Stegg was so heavily committed to the Virginia trade that he had residences on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Thomas Stegg, Grace’s brother, inherited his father’s possessions, and William Byrd I went to live with his uncle Thomas as an older youth. Thomas Stegg made William Byrd I his heir, and William inherited rich properties in Virginia, including the site near where Richmond was to stand someday.
(25 Oct 00)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.