The elder William Byrd was concerned enough for his children's education that he sent them to English schools. As infants, William, Susan, and Ursula were sent to England. The planned return of the children was delayed by war with France. Susan became old enough that she married, and settled in England. Ursula returned to Virginia just after her sixteenth birthday, and very soon married Robert Beverley, the historian.
William II was placed under the care of a famous schoolmaster, Christopher Glasscock, the headmaster at the Felsted Grammar School in Essex. By 1685, William was progressing nicely in his studies; however, the father wanted his son to learn some of the practical aspects of the world as well, so he was sent to Holland to one of the business enterprises the father dealt with. But this position was not to the liking of William II and he returned to England, where he was placed with the firm of Perry & Lane. The father was well aware that William II would have a sizeable estate to manage someday. The father's plan to leave his entire estate to William II led to the desire that William II be a practical person besides an academic. William II's two surviving sisters received only a few hundred pounds each from the estate, and William received the rest. William II lived up to his father's expectations.
When William II inherited his father's holdings, William had already served in the House of Burgesses, and been the agent of Virginia in England. So when he came into his expectations, he was already an accomplished gentleman who was at home in both London and Virginia. On his return from Holland in 1690, he was two years in the commercial world in London. Then, he entered the Middle Temple and was admitted to the bar. When he returned to Virginia in 1696, for a visit, he was elected to the House. In this same year he was elected, at the age of 22, to the Royal Society, an honor that probably no other American of his age had attained. He became acquainted with many Lords, Earls, Marquis, and a Duke, besides some plain "Sirs".
After the election to the House in 1696, he returned to London and represented the colony before the Board of Trade. This only lasted a few years, because Byrd presented a petition to the King without the permission of the Governor of Virginia, which resulted in his losing the job. Shortly after this, he returned for good to Virginia on his father's death, Byrd was elected to the Council and served there until his death. His influence was also able to earn him a lucrative appointment as receiver-general for Virginia.
In 1706, one year after returning permanently to Virginia, Byrd married Lucy Parke. Her father, killed in the uprising at Atigua in 1710, left his estates to his eldest daughter Frances, wife of John Custis, while bequeathing Lucy a mere thousand pounds. Parke's debts were to be paid by selling some of the estate. Byrd, looking for land, agreed with Custis, the executor, to take over the lands that would have to be sold, and to assume Parke's debts. These debts were much larger than anyone had realized, and Byrd was continually strapped for cash during the latter part of his life.
So, William Byrd, as he entered married life, could already say, "Been there, done that."
(27 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.