William Byrd II
William Byrd II was a prominent colonial figure born to a wealthy landowning family in Virginia. He experienced significant events in early American history, including Bacon's Rebellion in 1676, which prompted him to flee to England. Byrd pursued a well-rounded education, first attending the Felsted School and later training as a lawyer at the London Middle Temple. Throughout his life, he engaged in various roles, including working as a merchant in the Netherlands and becoming a member of The Royal Society of London.
Byrd returned to Virginia after his father's death in 1705, where he settled the estate and married Lucy Parke. He later became a member of the Virginia Council of State and made attempts to influence local governance, including an unsuccessful bid to unseat Governor Alexander Spotswood. Byrd’s life also included personal tragedy, with the loss of his wife to smallpox shortly after her arrival in London. He continued to contribute to his community and the broader discourse on health by anonymously publishing a treatise on smallpox. Byrd’s legacy includes significant historical accounts of Virginia and his secret diaries, reflecting his life and times until his death in 1744, when he was serving as president of the Virginia Council of State.
On this Page
Subject Terms
William Byrd II
- Born: March 28, 1674
- Birthplace: Virginia Colony
- Died: August 26, 1744
- Place of death: Westover, Virginia
Biography
William Byrd II, was the son of William Byrd, a wealthy Virginia landowner. During Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676, young Byrd fled to England. He returned to Virginia, but made another trip to England in 1681 to attend the Felsted School. After completing his education at Felsted, Byrd worked as a merchant in the Netherlands. He then returned to London and began attending the London Middle Temple to receive training as a lawyer. He became a member of The Royal Society of London for Improving of Natural Knowledge and was appointed an agent for the Virginia House of Burgesses. After being rejected for a position on the Board of Trade in 1696, Byrd left London and returned to Virginia for a year. However, it was not long before he once again sailed for London in 1697.
Following his father’s death in 1705, Byrd returned to Virginia to settle his father’s estate. During this time, Byrd married Lucy Parke. In 1709, Byrd became a member of the Virginia Council of State, taking his father’s place in that body. In 1714, Byrd once more traveled to England, where he made an unsuccessful attempt to unseat Virginia governor Alexander Spotswood. His wife, Lucy, joined him in London two years later and died of smallpox after her arrival.
Byrd spent the next two years in Virginia, anonymously publishing a treatise on smallpox entitledA Discourse Concerning the Plague. In 1722, Byrd again traveled to London, where he married Maria Taylor. He returned to Virginia in 1726 and was elected governor. Byrd spent 1728 surveying the dividing line between Virginia and North Carolina. He published two histories of Virginia between 1729 and 1736. When he died in 1744, Byrd was president of the Virginia Council of State. Several collections of his work have been published posthumously, including his secret diaries.