Virginia Company of London
On Apr. 10, 1606, King James I of England chartered two companies to settle, respectively, the southern and northern portions of the land claimed by England in America. The Virginia Company was to settle the south and the Plymouth Company was to settle the north. In 1607 the Virginia Company founded and settled at Jamestown, Virginia. One of the petitioners for the charter of the Virginia Company was the Rev. Robert Hunt. He was the first chaplain of the Jamestown colony. The Virginia Company created parishes in each of its settlements and set aside glebe lands to provide income. It provided for churches to be built and appointed clergy for the churches. The company was torn by dissension and dissolved on May 24, 1624. The Virginia colony became a royal colony subject to the King.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.