1640–1704
BIRTH 24 AUG 1640 • New Kent County, Virginia Colony, Colonial, America
DEATH 9 FEB 1704 • Petsworth Parish, Gloucester, Virginia7th great-grandmother
Warner Hall
4750 Warner Hall Road Gloucester, VA 23061
History Ideally situated at the head of the Severn River in Gloucester County, the manor house at Warner Hall stands on a neck of land that has been occupied and built upon continually from the mid-17th century. Referred to as “Austin’s Desire” in the 1642-land patent, the original six hundred-acre plantation site was established by Augustine Warner as a “land grant” from the British Crown. Augustine Warner received the acreage in exchange for bringing twelve settlers across the Atlantic Ocean to the Jamestown Settlement, a colony desperately in need of manpower to survive in the New World.
The two families associated with the property from this early period until well into the 19th century, the Warners and the Lewises, were among the most prominent families in Colonial Virginia. Over the years, Warner Hall Plantation thrived, as did the descendants of Augustine Warner. Some of the most recognized names in American history are direct descendants of Augustine Warner – George Washington, the first president of the United States, Robert E. Lee, the most famous Civil War General, and Captain Meriwether Lewis, renowned American explorer of the Lewis & Clark expedition. George Washington was a frequent visitor to his grandparent’s plantation.
Queen Elizabeth II, the current monarch of England, is a direct descendent of Augustine Warner through the Bowes-Lyon family and the Earl of Strathmore. In England, Warner Hall is referred to as “The home of the Queen’s American ancestors”. Warner Hall is also significant for the part it played in the drama of Bacon’s rebellion, one of the most important events in early Virginia history.
After leading a 1676 rebellion against the British governor and burning Jamestown, Bacon retreated to Warner Hall Plantation. At the time, Augustine Warner II, who was Speaker of the House of Burgesses and a member of the King’s Council, was in residence and very likely agitated that his plantation was taken over by opponents of the Crown.
Today, Warner Hall consists of a Colonial Revival manor house (circa 1900) which was rebuilt on the earlier 17th and 18th-century foundation. Like the previous structures at Warner Hall, all of which indicated the prominence of their owners, the Colonial Revival core is a grand architectural gesture. The original 17th-century west wing dependency (the plantation schoolroom and tutor’s quarters) has been completely restored and offers a rare glimpse into the past. Historic outbuildings include 18th-century brick stables, a dairy barn, and a smokehouse.
The Warner-Lewis family graveyard, maintained by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, offers a remarkable collection of 17th and 18th-century tombstones.
Warner Hall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Warner Hall | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
Show map of VirginiaShow map of the United StatesShow all | |
Location | VA 629, Gloucester, Virginia |
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Coordinates | 37°20′24″N 76°28′36″WCoordinates: 37°20′24″N 76°28′36″W |
Built | 1740 |
Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Colonial, Greek Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 80004191[1] |
Added to NRHP | November 25, 1980 [2] |
Warner Hall is a historic plantation in Gloucester County, Virginia, United States. Augustine Warner, progenitor of many prominent First Families of Virginia, and great-great-grandfather of President George Washington established the plantation in 1642 after receiving a royal land grant, and would serve in the House of Burgesses, as would many later owners.[3] While Augustine Warner Jr. operated the plantation and served as speaker of the House of Burgesses, rebels associated with Bacon’s Rebellion sacked and looted it, as well as made it their headquarters after they sacked Jamestown. Warner sought compensation for goods valued at £845, or the equivalent of what 40 slaves or servants would produce in a year, which led to litigation with fellow burgess William Byrd, whom Warner blamed for supporting Bacon but who portrayed himself as a fellow victim. Warner had no male heirs, although his daughter Mildred would become the grandmother of George Washington, and his daughter Elizabeth married John Lewis, who assumed the house and surrounding plantation, as well as served in the House of Burgesses, as did their descendants until circa 1820.[4] The house burned in 1840, and the two surviving (and used) outbuildings were joined circa 1900 to become a Colonial Revival mansion. It is currently operated as a country inn.[5] The cemetery on the property, which includes graves of the Warner and Lewis families, has been maintained by the Association for Preservation of Virginia Antiquities since 1903.[6]
The plantation was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Jump up to:a b “National Register Information System”. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ “Virginia Landmarks Register” (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 7 August 2020. | area = 38 acres (15 ha)
- ^ “Bed Check: Inn at Warner Hall”. The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
- ^ NRIS p. 3 of 9
- ^ “History”. Inn at Warner Hall. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
- ^ NRIS p. 6 of 9
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- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
- American colonial architecture
- Greek Revival houses in Virginia
- Colonial Revival architecture in Virginia
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- Gloucester County, Virginia
- National Register of Historic Places in Gloucester County, Virginia
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