Date of Award
1-16-1967
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
History
Abstract
The condition of Virginia in 1710 was depressed, both politically and economically. A royal colony, Virginia nevertheless had been establishing her own common laws and "ancient" practices, at the the same time that English control was becoming increasingly inefficient. The situation worsened during the administrations of Edmund Andros and Francis Nicholson and reach a minor climax during the four-year interregnum which began in 1706 and lasted until Spotswood assumed leadership of the government in 1710.
During this period when lack of a royal governor placed colonial affairs in the hands of the Virginia Council and its president, the work of the government came almost to a halt. In the absence of the General Assembly governmental business accumulated in the form of public claims and an unfinished governor's mansion. Colonial defenses, moreover, went untended.
Recommended Citation
Schools, Joan, "Alexander Spotswood's struggle with his council" (1967). Honors Theses. 746.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/746