The Virginia colony government combined authority from England with a local assembly. Its structure took shape between the first assembly of 1619 and the end of the Virginia Company in 1624.

Quick answer: Virginia colony government had three parts: a governor who acted for the Crown, a council chosen by the governor, and the elected House of Burgesses. The council and the burgesses together formed the General Assembly, which made the colony’s laws. The first representative assembly met on July 30, 1619.

Contents

From Company to Crown

The colony began under the Virginia Company of London, chartered by King James I in 1606.[1] On July 30, 1619, Governor George Yeardley called the first representative legislative assembly in Virginia.[2]

On May 24, 1624, the king revoked the charter of the Virginia Company. Virginia then became a royal colony and remained one until the Revolutionary War.[2]

The Three Parts of Government

Part How chosen Role
Governor Royal appointment Acted for the Crown, which held final authority until 1776
Council Chosen by the governor Upper house of the General Assembly
House of Burgesses Elected by qualified voters Lower house; the only elected body

The General Assembly, made up of the House of Burgesses and the councillors, enacted the laws of the colony.[3]

Representation in the House of Burgesses

By the 1690s each county sent two burgesses to the assembly, and Jamestown sent one.[4] Other places gained a single seat later:

  • the College of William and Mary in 1718;
  • Williamsburg in 1723;
  • Norfolk in 1738.[4]

Elections and Capitals

General elections were irregular. They followed the governor’s dissolution of the assembly, the arrival of a new governor or the death of the monarch, and at times a law that required an election at least every seven years.[4] Voting was limited, for most of the period, to free white men who owned land.[4]

The capital remained at Jamestown until 1699, when the government moved to Middle Plantation, renamed Williamsburg.[2]

Frequently asked questions

What type of government did the Virginia Colony have? After 1624 it was a royal colony, with a governor for the Crown, an appointed council and an elected House of Burgesses.

When did the House of Burgesses first meet? The first representative assembly met on July 30, 1619.

Who chose the members of the council? The governor.

When did Virginia become a royal colony? On May 24, 1624.

References

Voting rules are covered in Who Could Vote in Colonial Virginia.