Bruton Parish Church facts for kids
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Bruton Parish Church
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Bruton Parish Church from Duke of Gloucester Street
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 Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | Williamsburg, Virginia |
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| Area | C.H.A. |
| Built | 1677 |
| Architect | Alexander Spotswood |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Website | http://www.brutonparish.org/ |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000861 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 10, 1970 |
| Designated NHL | April 15, 1970 |
Bruton Parish Church is a historic church in Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia. It started in 1674 when two older church areas in the Virginia Colony joined together. Today, it's still a busy Episcopal church. The church building, built between 1711 and 1715, is a special National Historic Landmark. It's a great example of early American church architecture.
The Story of Bruton Parish Church
The story of Bruton Parish Church begins with the Church of England and the first English settlement in Jamestown in the early 1600s. Back then, the church and government worked closely together. This was true in England and also in the new Virginia Colony.
The Church of England in Virginia (1607)
When the English colony began at Jamestown on May 14, 1607, building a simple chapel and holding church services were top priorities. The first chaplain was Reverend Robert Hunt. He led the prayers and thanksgivings when the settlers first landed in Virginia. He also placed a cross at Cape Henry.
Captain John Smith called Reverend Hunt our honest, religious and courageous divine. Hunt was a peacemaker, often helping the settlers get along. Sadly, he did not survive the first year. After five very hard years, the colony slowly began to grow. Like in England, the church area (called a parish) became very important locally.
Early settlements were along big rivers like the James River and York River. As the colony grew, new parishes and counties (called shires) were created. Parishes needed to be close enough for people to travel to church, which everyone was expected to do. A parish was led by a rector (a priest) and a group of respected members called the vestry.
Middle Plantation Grows (1632)
The middle part of the Virginia Peninsula was settled starting in the 1630s. A wooden fence (palisade) was built across the peninsula between Archer's Hope Creek and Queen's Creek. This area was called Middle Plantation.
Dr. John Potts was important in the early days. He was a member of the Governor's Council and even served as Governor from 1629 to 1630. Dr. Potts had a large farm (called a plantation) named "Harrop." This name might have come from his family's home in England.
In 1632, Dr. Potts received land for 1,200 acres (4.9 km²) at Archer's Hope Creek. Part of this land became the fortified palisade. The palisade was 6 miles (10 km) long. It ran from one creek to the other. On the ridge between them, Middle Plantation was built.
Colonel John Page (1628–1692) owned land in Middle Plantation. He was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. He gave land and money for the first brick Bruton Parish Church. Colonel Page also helped bring the College of William & Mary to the area. He gave more land to help create the town that later became Williamsburg.
Dr. Potts likely saw that Middle Plantation was a healthy place to live. The land was well-drained, so there were fewer mosquitoes. Deep valleys on either side made it a good place to defend. The main road down the peninsula also ran along this ridge. This road later became Duke of Gloucester Street.
Middle Plantation Becomes a Town
Even though Middle Plantation was a good location, it didn't grow into a town right away. It was still close to the frontier. Native Americans were being pushed out of their lands. This was especially true before a major conflict in 1644. After that, peace was made.
After 1644, areas like Middle Plantation became more popular for settlement. By the 1650s, Middle Plantation looked busy and wealthy. It was on the border between James City County and York County.
Colonel John Page helped Middle Plantation become a real town. He moved from England in 1650. Most buildings were made of wood back then, so brick houses showed wealth and permanence. Page built a large brick house. He encouraged others to build there too. The Ludwell brothers also built a big brick home. These houses were some of the best in the colony. By the late 1600s, Middle Plantation looked like an important place.
Church Life in Middle Plantation
Records show that Middle Plantation Parish was created in 1633. There was a wooden church by about 1660. In 1658, Middle Plantation Parish joined with Harrop Parish to form Middletown Parish.
Bruton Parish was formed in 1674. This happened when Marston Parish and Middletown Parish merged. The first leaders (vestrymen) of Bruton Parish were important figures like Colonel Thomas Ballard Sr. and Colonel John Page.
The parish was named after Bruton, a town in England. This was the hometown of several important colonial leaders, including the Royal Governor, Sir William Berkeley. Bruton Parish covered an area about 10 miles (16 km) square.
Colonel Page gave land (about 144 feet by 180 feet) and money in 1678. This was for building a brick church and its churchyard. Because of his generous gift, Colonel Page's family was allowed to sit in a special pew at the front of the church.
Other people also gave money. Construction began in June 1681 and finished by November 29, 1683. The first rector, Reverend Rowland Jones, dedicated the church on January 6, 1684.
The first brick church was about 60 feet (18 m) long and 24 feet (7.3 m) wide. It was built northwest of where the current church stands. Its old foundations are still buried there.
A New Role for the Church
Jamestown had problems as the capital of the colony. It was often unsafe and unhealthy. So, the government sometimes met in Middle Plantation. This, along with another event, made Middle Plantation and Bruton Parish very important.
In 1691, the House of Burgesses sent Reverend James Blair to England. He was the colony's top religious leader. His mission was to get a special paper (a charter) to start "a certain Place of Universal Study, a perpetual College..." This college would teach divinity, philosophy, languages, and other arts and sciences. Blair worked hard in London and succeeded.
The College of William & Mary was founded on February 8, 1693. It was named after the King and Queen of England, King William III and Queen Mary II. It was one of the first colleges in the American colonies. William & Mary was an Anglican school. Its governors had to be members of the Church of England.
Reverend Blair chose a site for the new college on the edge of Middle Plantation. He bought 330 acres (1.3 km²) from Thomas Ballard. The college opened in temporary buildings in 1694. The first main college building, the Wren Building, was built starting in 1695. It was used by 1700. Today, the Wren Building is the oldest college building in America that is still used.
The State House in Jamestown burned down again in 1698. So, the legislature moved to Middle Plantation temporarily. On May 1, 1699, Reverend Blair and students from the college suggested that Middle Plantation become the new capital of Virginia. A month later, the lawmakers agreed. The town was soon renamed Williamsburg to honor King William III.
After Williamsburg became the capital, plans were made for a new capitol building and for laying out the new city. Bruton Parish Church was given a very important spot in this new plan.
By 1699, Bruton Parish Church was next to both the new college and the new capital. During colonial times, all public officials had to attend church. So, government and college leaders in Williamsburg would have gone to Bruton Parish Church. The many students, the governor, and lawmakers made the small church too crowded.
The church and Williamsburg were central to the colony's life. As the main church of colonial Virginia, Bruton Parish Church soon received special items like an altar cloth and cushion.
A New Church Building (1715)
Historians from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation note that the brick church was near the center of Williamsburg's first map. This shows how important the church was to the community. However, the old brick church was in poor condition and too small.
In 1706, the church leaders (vestry) started thinking about a bigger church. But with only 110 families in 1724, they couldn't afford a large church. So, they asked the colony's government for money to make it bigger. Four years later, the General Assembly agreed to pay for special pews for the governor, his council, and the lawmakers.
Royal Governor Alexander Spotswood drew up plans for the new church. It would be a cross-shaped church (the first in Virginia). It would be 75 feet (23 m) long and 28 feet (8.5 m) wide, with wings (transepts) 19 feet (5.8 m) long.
Dr. James Blair, who was the rector from 1710 to 1743 and also president of William and Mary, watched over the construction. The first building contract was given in 1711. The church was finished in 1715. It soon had all the needed items: a Bible, prayer books, an altar, a bell, and more.
In 1755, the church got its first organ. The vestry voted to build a loft for an organ. Peter Pelham was chosen as the church's first organist.
Soon after, the parish also set up the Bruton Parish Poorhouse.
American Revolution and Decline
When the American Revolutionary War began in 1776, people questioned the power of the king and the government-controlled church. Many important Virginia leaders attended Bruton Parish Church. These included Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, George Wythe, Patrick Henry, and George Mason.
The capital moved to Richmond in 1781 for safety during the war. After the new Constitution of the United States and Bill of Rights were adopted, the idea of Separation of Church and State and Freedom of Religion changed the church's role. With the end of colonial rule, Bruton Parish Church, like the city, saw a decline. Important people like Cyrus Griffin, John Blair, and Edmund Pendleton are buried in the church cemetery.
However, the church grew again as part of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. This became the first independent Anglican church outside of Britain. In the new Commonwealth of Virginia, people chose to attend Bruton Parish Church. The parish survived and is still active today. Over the years, parts of the church were changed. For example, the altar was moved from the east end to the west end. In the early 1900s, a major restoration took place.
Bringing Colonial Williamsburg Back to Life
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Bruton Parish Church was brought back to life thanks to its rector, Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin (1869–1939). He came to the parish in 1903. He was inspired by his historic church and the many 18th-century buildings around it. Dr. Goodwin raised money and oversaw the repair and restoration of the old church. He used information from old town and church records.
The inside of Bruton Parish Church was restored to look like it did in colonial times. A special service was held on May 14, 1905, to mark this. The church's restoration was finished by 1907. This was just in time for the 300th anniversary of the Episcopal Church in America. This work was just the beginning of a much larger restoration project.
Dr. Goodwin moved to Rochester, New York, but returned to Virginia in 1923. He taught at the College of William and Mary and served again at Bruton Parish. He was worried about other historic buildings in the area. They were falling apart and he feared they would be lost forever. In 1924, Dr. Goodwin started a movement to save these buildings.
He was very lucky to get help from John D. Rockefeller Jr., the wealthy son of the founder of Standard Oil, and his wife Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. Dr. Goodwin sparked their interest in the old city. Their incredible generosity helped fund the restoration. Together, the Rockefellers and Dr. Goodwin worked to make the dream of restoring the old colonial capital come true.
The Search for “Bacon’s Vault”
In 1938, a woman named Marie Bauer claimed to have found a secret message in an old book. She believed the message said there was a hidden vault under the first brick church at Bruton Parish. This vault supposedly held lost writings by Sir Francis Bacon. These writings might even prove that Bacon wrote Shakespeare’s plays.
Bauer got permission to dig. Using clues she said she found on old tombstones, she uncovered the foundations of the original 1683 brick church. The digging stopped at about nine feet deep because people worried about disturbing graves. Bauer then hired engineers to use metal detectors. They said that "At a depth of from sixteen to twenty feet square…lies a body partially filled and much larger than an ordinary tomb.”
Interest in the vault grew again in 1985. Radar tests showed possible disturbed soil under the 1938 dig site. After some people were found digging on the church grounds without permission, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation started a new excavation in 1992. Following Bauer's original ideas, archaeologists dug down twenty feet. They found no evidence of a vault. A geologist from the College of William & Mary took soil samples. He concluded that the ground at that depth had not been disturbed for millions of years.
Bruton Parish Church Today
Today, Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area covers 173 acres (0.7 km²). It has 88 original buildings and over 50 major reconstructions. It is connected by the Colonial Parkway to Jamestown and Yorktown. Jamestown was England's first permanent colony in America. At Yorktown, George Washington's army won a key victory that ended British rule.
Bruton Parish Church is now a very active church in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia. It has almost two thousand members. There are four Sunday services and active groups for youth and college students. The church has been restored to look like it did in colonial times. Name plates on its box pews remember famous people who worshipped there. These include George Washington, James Madison, John Tyler, Benjamin Harrison, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Jefferson.
The church still uses a bell made in 1761. This bell rang to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It also rang for the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which ended the American Revolutionary War. The bell is engraved: "The Gift of James Tarpley to Bruton Parish, 1761." It celebrated the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766. In 1783, it celebrated the peace treaty between the United States and Great Britain.
Just as the old country parish found a new role with visitors to the college and capital, today's visitors to Colonial Williamsburg are welcome to worship alongside locals.
Music Program
Bruton Parish Church has a long history of music, starting in 1755. In early days, only instrumental music before and after the service was allowed. People also chanted psalms. But the church has had an organ since 1755. This was unusual because music was often banned. However, since the church was in the capital city, an organ was seen as necessary.
Peter Pelham was the first organist. He started the tradition of Candlelight Concerts. He let locals come and listen while he taught students.
Today's music program continues Pelham's traditions. It also includes modern worship styles. The two main choirs, the Pelham and Chancel choirs, sing at morning services. They also perform at special concerts, like the John D. Rockefeller Jr memorial concert. There is also a college student choir that sings at an evening service. Two children's choirs sing sometimes during services. An orchestra plays for choir concerts. A handbell choir plays during services and at special concerts. The church still has candlelight concerts with guest choirs, organists, and musicians. These happen on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights. There are also special monthly Evensong services with guest choirs.
In 2011, the church created a new position: organ scholar. This built on Peter Pelham's teaching tradition. The first organ scholar was Allen T. Blehl. He studied organ at the College of William and Mary. He also performed services and concerts at Bruton Parish Church. In 2014, Carina Sturdy became the new organ scholar.
See also
