Gwynn’s Island is situated in Mathews
County, Virginia, at the mouth of the
Piankatank River on the western shore of the
Chesapeake Bay approximately 80 miles east
of Richmond and the same distance north of
Norfolk by road. About 4 miles long and 3/4
miles wide, the year round population is
close to 800, although it seems more like
8000 in the summertime.
Prior to the arrival of the colonists from
Jamestown and Captain John Smith, little is
known of its previous history. We do know
that Indians inhabited the Island s
inhabited the Island ast 10,000 BC as
evidenced by the numerous
artifacts...arrowheads, tools, pottery,
beads etc...and many of these items are now
in the Gwynn’s Island Museum.
In 1610(?) Hugh Gwynn, often referred to by
some as Sir Hugh Gwynn, and by others as
Colonel Hugh Gwynn (probably the latter)
arrived in Jamestown possibly with members
of his family. The name Gwynn is variously
spelled as Gwin, Gwinn, Guinn, Wynn, Wynne
or Winn. Of Welsh origin, the name Gwynn
means “white” and can be traced back as
direct descendants of Caractacus, son of
King Cymbeline, one of the early kings in
Wales. According to history, in 47 AD,
Caractacus refused to submit to Claudius the
Roman Emperor who conquered Britain. After
inciting tribe after tribe to revolt, he
finally surrendered to the Romans. Because
of his nobility and the renown of his
heroism, he gained the admiration and
respect of Claudius and was allowed to
remain in practical freedom in Rome.
(See
Gwynn’s Island & the Roman Connection at
the Museum)
In 1611(?), Hugh Gwynn was exploring the
Chesapeake Bay and stopped at a small island
at the mouth of the Piankatank River. Legend
has it that he heard cries for help from an
Indian girl who had fallen from her
canoe. Seeing her about to sink, he
dived in and pulled her to safety. When
asked her name she replied “Pocahontas,
daughter of Chief Powhatan", and in
gratitude for saving her life she gave the
island to Hugh Gwynn, hence the name Gwynn’s
Island. besides, Hugh figured it was easier
to spell Gwynn than Pocahontas. Chances are
that Hugh Gwynn, like so many of his
compatriots, claimed the Island in the name
of the King, and settled in for the
duration.
What is now Mathews County was formed from
Gloucester County in 1790, and Gloucester
County was formed from York County in 1651
which itself was formed in 1634. In 1635,
Colonel Hugh Gwynn made a claim to King
Charles 1 of England for property on Gwynn’s
Island, and was granted by patent 1700
acres, almost a quarter of the Island, in
1640. Why the time lag between his discovery
of the Island in 1611 and 1640 we don’t
know. He became a member of the House of
Burgesses in 1652 from Gloucester and a
leading vestryman in the church and died
about 1654. He had also been a member from
York County in 1639 and 1646, and a Justice
in 1641. The name “Gwynn” is now extinct on
Gwynn’s Island, much of the family having
moved to North Carolina in the 19th century,
but there are lineal descendants still
living there. Gwynn is a fairly common name
in the general area among both black slave
descendants and whites. The Welsh influence
on the Island is indicated not only by
Gwynn, but also the name Edwards, and the
fact that the body of water between the
Island and the mainland coming in from the
Bay is called Milford Haven, named after an
old fishing town on the southwest coast of
Wales. |
The
Gwynns and the early settlers did a little
farming, owned cattle, sheep and hogs and
took advantage of the bounteous harvest from
the surrounding waters. Slaves were brought
to the island by the Gwynn's, the Keebles,
the Reades and the Hudgins
who also owned fairly large properties at
that time.
Gwynn’s Island played a small but
significant part in the Revolutionary
War. After Lord Dunmore, the last
Colonial Governor of Virginia, was forced to
leave Norfolk because of unrest and
rebellion by the local population, he sailed
up the Bay to Gwynn’s Island in 1776. He
entrenched himself with 500 men, many
runaway slaves, and several ships for many
months. General Andrew Lewis was sent to
dislodge him and set up fortifications on
the mainland at what is now known as Cricket
Hill and mounted his guns. Opening
fire on Dunmore’s ship, he caused
considerable damage. The fight was soon over
and Dunmore and the remnants of his flotilla
fled up the Bay to Maryland. They were
rebuffed there and eventually left the
Colonies and returned to England. The
Revolutionary War was under way, and America
would no longer be under British rule.
Life continued on the Island with very few
changes for the next 150 years. Sail changed
to steam and in the early 1900's the first
automobiles appeared, but transportation for
many more years was by horse and buggy or
boat.
In August of 1933 a twelve foot wave rolled
up the Chesapeake Bay from a terrible
hurricane and caused major damage to the
Island as well as to other areas.
Fortunately no lives were lost but
livestock, boats and buildings were swept
away. It was a major disaster for the
Islanders and it took several years to get
back to normal.
For many years during the late 1800s, early
1900's, access to the Island was by ferry,
but in 1939 the Bridge was built and there
would never be the sense of isolation from
the mainland thereafter.
If you
would like to learn more about the Gwynn
family, we recommend Happy Valley by Thomas
Felix Hickerson. Out of print and hard
to find, this is an authoritative
reference. Can occasionally be found on
the Web at www.abebooks.com
or
other good used book stores and will probably
be expensive.
** Please note the apostophe 'S in Gwynn's
Island. For many years State and Federal
maps and charts referred to it as Gwynn
Island. Unfortunately some current
publications still do. The late Mrs.
Eleanor Respess, a native Islander, prevailed at
great length to get it changed to Gwynn's
Island, saying "You don't call it Martha
Vineyard, so you don't call it Gwynn Island!"
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