Robert Bolling
Robert Bolling was a notable Virginia poet and burgess, recognized for his contributions to literature and his involvement in colonial affairs. Born as the third of eight surviving children to John Bolling II and Elizabeth Blair, he was a descendant of the famous Powhatan princess Pocahontas and John Rolfe. Bolling received his education at the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Wakefield, England, before studying law in Williamsburg, Virginia. He had a documented courtship with his cousin Anne Miller, which he chronicled in a manuscript that was later published, showcasing his literary talent.
Bolling's poetry was diverse, written in multiple languages and published in various magazines of the time. His work often reflected contemporary issues; he famously critiqued judicial practices in a letter to the Virginia Gazette, resulting in a libel lawsuit against him, which ultimately did not lead to an indictment. He was involved in local governance, serving as sheriff and justice of the peace in Buckingham County, and was active in the militia. Bolling was elected to the Third Virginia Convention in 1775, but he passed away shortly thereafter. His unpublished manuscripts are preserved at the Huntington Library, offering insights into his life and work.
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Robert Bolling
Nonfiction Writer and Poet
- Born: August 17, 1738
- Birthplace: Varina, Virginia
- Died: July 1, 1775
- Place of death: Richmond, Virginia
Biography
Robert Bolling, a poet and Virginia burgess, was the third of eight surviving children of John Bolling II and Elizabeth Blair. On his father’s side, he was descended from Pocahontas and John Rolfe. From 1751 to 1755, Bolling was educated at the Queen Elizabeth grammar school in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England, and he then studied law in Williamsburg, Virginia. Bolling courted Anne Miller, a distant cousin, and recorded his courtship in prose and poetry in a manuscript entitled A Circumstantial Account. The manuscript was later edited and published, with a full biography and bibliography, by scholar J. A. Leo Lemay as Robert Bolling Woos Anne Miller: Love and Courtship in Colonial Virginia, 1760 (1990).
A learned poet, Bolling wrote in Italian, French, and Latin and published in English as well as American magazines. His unconventional Neanthe (c. 1763) is an anti-Petrarchan account of a battle over the favors of a harlot, an unusual production filled with Virginia folklore. Bolling was unafraid of controversy. He wrote a letter to the Virginia Gazette on June 20, 1766, criticizing three judges for partiality in allowing bail for Colonel John Chiswell, who had been accused of murder. One of the judges sued Bolling for libel; John Wayles, whose deposition Bolling had attacked, sued Bolling and the editors of the paper. On October 16, 1766, a grand jury was charged with punishing the licentiousness of the press, but the grand jury rejected the indictments.
In 1770, Bolling’s brother, Edward, died and left Bolling a plantation in Buffalo Lick, Virginia. Archibald Bolling, Bolling’s youngest brother, hired an attorney and sued Bolling over the inheritance. Bolling hired Thomas Jefferson to represent his interests in the dispute. It is not known who won the case.
Apparently against his wishes, Bolling was appointed Buckingham County sheriff for 1765 and 1766. He served as a justice of the peace on the Buckingham County Court beginning in 1760, the year the court was created. He was also one of three colonels of the Buckingham County militia. In 1775, he was a candidate for the Third Virginia Convention from Buckingham County; he was elected and was in Richmond, Virginia, on July 17, 1775, for the opening of the convention. However, he died a few days later. Theodorick Bland, Jr., his friend and executor, died before he could publish Bolling’s manuscripts. Bolling’s manuscript on vineyards and wine making and two other collections of occasional writing remain unpublished and are located at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.