Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 1.djvu/171

 COLONIAL COLXCILLOKS OI" STATE

141

l^ffinghani wrote to the English government that a vacancy had occurred in the council and that he had nominated Col. John Armistead as in every way qualified for the place. This nomination was confirmed on April 30, 1688, and Col. Armistead was sworn as member on Oct. 18 of the same year, lie remained a councillor until 1691, w^hen, feeling that he could not consistently with the allegiance he had sworn to James IT, take the same oath to William and Mary, he declined and was accordingly removed from the council. It is probable that he later realized the hopelessness of the Stuart cause, and relented in his deter- mination, for in 1693 Gov. Andros w-rote that Col. John Armistead had retired from the council. He died soon after. He left two sons and two daughters and through them was the ancestor of many distinguished \irginians.

Hill, Edward, Jr., was the son of Edward Hill Sr., an account of whom appears above. He was probably born at "Shirley," Charles City county, on the banks of the James, in 1637, and upon the death of his father, about 1663, fell heir to that historic estate. Edward Hill Jr. held many offices in his time. He was commander-in-chief of Charles City and Surry counties, commissioned by Gov. Chicheley, Sept. 27, 1679; speaker of the house of burgesses, 1691 ; treasurer, elected 1691 ; col- lector of upper district of James river, 1692, and naval officer of Virginia duties. In 1697 Gov. Andros appointed him judge of the Ad- miralty for Virginia and North Carolina. It seems that upon the first day of Bacon's up- rising there was an attempt made to pursuade Hill to join them, but he met the proposition with a scornful rebufif. He was an intimate friend of Gov. Berkeley and took an active part in quelling the rebellion. It naturally fol- lows that he was cordially hated by the people

in his county where the rebellion began. He was disfranchised by Bacon's house of burgesses in 1676, and after Bacon's death, when the counties capitulated to the King's commissioners, lie was made a principal sub- ject uf their excuse for rebellion, and accused ot oppression, misappropriation of public funds and other wrong doing. Col. Hill answered his accusers very effectively in a long and elaborate paper, but in the hst of councillors made by the commissioners late in 1677 they recommended that he be left out, and on Eeb. 10, 1678-79, the committee of trades and plantations recommended that Col. Hill, of ' evil fame and behavior," be put out of all employment and declared unfit to serve his majesty, which recommendation the King saw- fit to follow "until his Majesty's pleasure be further known." With the appointment of Lord Culpeper as governor there was, how- ever, a turn in the tide of Virginia affairs, and Col. Hill's star was again in the ascendant. He was fully restored to both royal and popu- lar favor and many of the offices which he held were bestowed upon him after this date. He died Nov. 30, 1700, at "Shirley," which is still owned by his descendants.

Whiting, Henry, of Gloucester county, was probably a son of the James Whiting, who patented 250 acres of land on York river and Timberneck creek, Gloucester, on Aug. 10, 1643. Henry Whiting was a physician and in 168 1 was a justice of Gloucester. He seems to have been a sufferer at the hands of Bacon's rebels, but a few years later was treated as a rebel himself and accused before Gov. Cul- peper and the council of having said in the assembly that if something were not done to bring about a cessation of tobacco planting the \'irginians would have to "all go a plunder- ing." \Muting was suspended from all offices.