House of Burgesses

The House of Burgesses was the name given to the lower house of the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. The name, House of Burgesses, over time came to represent the entire official legislative body of the Colony of Virginia, and later, after the American Revolution, the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Move from Jamestown to Middle Plantation (Williamsburg)

In 1699, the seat of the House of Burgesses was moved to Middle Plantation, soon renamed Williamsburg in honor of King William III of Great Britain. The Burgesses met there in two consecutive Capitol buildings (the first use of the word in the English Colonies) until December 1779, when they moved to the new capital at Richmond. The present Capitol at Colonial Williamsburg reproduces the earlier of the two lost buildings.

Related Topics:
1699 - Middle Plantation - Williamsburg - William III - Richmond - Colonial Williamsburg

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Governor Norborne Berkeley Baron de Botetourt dissolved the House of Burgesses in 1769. The Assembly continued to meet anyway, and became the Virginia House of Delegates in 1776, forming the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative branch of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Related Topics:
Norborne Berkeley Baron de Botetourt - 1769 - Virginia House of Delegates - 1776 - Virginia General Assembly

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~