 | The history of Truro Parish in Virginia, |  |
Institution of Fairfax County
In 1742 Fairfax County was taken from Prince
William, and the boundary lines of Truro Parish
and of the new county coincided.[11]
Among the duties of the Vestries was the
appointment every four years of reputable Freeholders
to "perambulate" the Parish,—going
around the plantations and renewing the landmarks.
This was called "Processioning."[12]
To
this end the Parish was divided into precincts, like
our modern Townships. These are reproduced
because they throw light upon the geography and
population of the precincts at the time of the several
processionings, and also because the Processioners
named owned land within their several
precincts at that date, and their names and localities
are thus prescribed.
At a Vestry held the 8th of August, 1743, for
appointing Processioners, etc. "Pursuant to an
order of Fairfax County Court the Vestry proceeded
and laid off the said Parish into precincts
and appointed Processioners in manner following:
"Ordered, that Richard Simpson and Thos.
Ford procession all the pattented lands that lye
of the Ox road, and between that and Occoquan
as far up as Popes head. and that they perform the
same sometime in the month of October or November
next, and report their proceedings according
to Law." In like manner it was ordered, that
William Champneys and Francis Cofer procession
between Occoquan and Pohick, and on the lower
side of the Ox road, as far up as the head branches
of Popes head; that John Manley and John Brown
procession between Pohick and Doegs Creek,
from the head branches of Pohick by Col. Fitzhughs
Rolling road, to the head of Doegs Run;
that Zephaniah Wade and Sampson Darrell procession
between Doegs Run and Great Hunting
Creek; that Daniel French Senior and John Gladdin
procession between Great Hunting Creek and
Pimmetts Run; that James Robertson and Guy
Broadwater procession between Pimmetts Run
and Difficult Run; that John Trammell and John
Harle procession between Difficult Run and Broad
Run; that Anthony Hampton and William Moore
procession between Broad Run and the south side
of Goose Creek as far as the fork of Little River;
that Philip Noland and John Lasswell procession
between Goose Creek and Limestone Run as far
as the fork of Little River; that Amos Janney and
William Hailing procession between Limestone
Run and the south branch of Kitoctan; "Between
the south fork of Kitoctan and Williams Gap, no
Gap, Ashbys Gap, the county line, and Goose
Creek, to the Beaver Dam, and back to the Gap.
No freeholder in this precinct. Between the
Beaver Dam and the north east fork of Goose
Creek. No freeholder in this precinct."—that
Lovel Jackson and Jacob Lasswell procession between
the north east and north west forks of Goose
Creek; that John Middleton and Edward Hews
procession between Little River and Goose Creek;
that William West and William Hall Junior procession
between Little River and Walnut Cabbin
branch; that George Adams and Daniel Diskin
procession between Walnut Cabbin branch, Broad
run and Cub run; that William Berkley and Vincent
Lewis procession between Cub run and Popes
head. "Ordered, that the Processioners, according
to their judgement, shape a line from the head
of one branch to the head of another; and that if
any persons land crosses any of the natural boundarys
mentioned, the first set of Processioners are
to go round the land."
The Act forming the new County, "Consisting of the Parish of
Truro," (including what are now Loudoun and Alexandria Counties,
as well as Fairfax,) took effect December 1st, 1742. (Hening, V,
207.) The first Court-House was established on "Freedom Hill," a
mile or two north of the present village of Vienna, on land deeded
to the County by "William Fairfax. Probably that was then near
the center of population. In 1754 the Court-House was moved to
Alexandria, and on July 1st, 1757. Loudoun County was cut off from
Fairfax. An Act of Assembly was passed December 4, 1789, directing
two acres of land to be purchased and the county buildings to
be erected "Within one mile of the cross roads, near Price's Ordinary,"
that being near the center of the County. But it was not
until 1801 that the present Court-House was completed, on land
deeded by Richard Ratcliffe, and the Court removed. The village
which slowly grew up at the County seat received the name of
Providence, while the County seat of Culpeper County was known
as Fairfax. The old Virginia habit of calling the County seat
"The Court-House" prevailed, however, and both villages lost their
names, until finally, aided by the mandate of the Post Office Department,
"Culpeper Court-House" became "Culpeper" and "Fairfax
Court-House" has now become "Fairfax."
This was a revival in Virginia, in about the year 1662, of an
old English' and Scottish custom which had already fallen into disuse
in the old country. Processionings were required every four
years. Originally the Vestries had only to mark out the precincts,
and appoint the days, between Easter and Whitsunday, for the
processioning, which was performed by the parties interested, but
after 1705 they had also to "appoint at least two intelligent honest
freeholders of each precinct to see such processioning performed,
to take and return to the Vestry an account of every persons land
they shall procession, and of the persons present at the same."
These accounts were to be carefully recorded and preserved by the
Vestry in books specially provided. Three processionings fixed the
bounds of lands beyond dispute.
| The history of Truro Parish in Virginia, | |