164
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
IJenry Fairfax. He was also actuated in his
return to England by the fact that X'irginia
had ceased to be an attractive place of resi-
dence for one so loyal as he. It is said that
on his arrival, while sailing up the Thames, he
actually passed the fateful tea, which was to
prove the occasion of hostilities between the
colonies and the mother country. Fairfax died
at Bath, England, April 3, 1787, and appointed
Washington one of his executors.
Burv^^ell, Robert Carter, of Isle of Wight county, a son of Nathaniel Burwell. of Car- ter's Creek, Gloucester, was educated at Wil- liam and ]\Iary College. He settled in Isle of Wight county, on Burwell's Bay, and repre- sented the county in the house of burgesses in 1752. and the same year was one of the first trustees of Smithfield. In 1764 he was elevated to the council, which he held till the revolution. His will, dated Jan. 10, 1777. was prfjved Oct. 13. 1777. He had a son Nathaniel, who was clerk of Isle of Wight court from 1772 to 1787, and a daughter Frances, who v/as first wife of (iov. John Page.
Tayloe, John, Jr., of "Mt. Airy," Richmond county, a son of Hon. John Tayloe, was born May 28, 1 72 1. He is stated to have been edu- cated in England at the University of Cam- bridge and to have inherited a very large estate from his father, who died when he was sixteen years of age. As soon as he reached his majority he was appointed a justice for Richmond county, and in a short time became one of the most influential, as he was probably the wealthiest man in the region. The exact date upon which he was commissioned a coun- cillor does not appear from the extant records, but he sat as a member April 21, 1757, and held his office until the outbreak of the revo- lution. Though a supporter of American lib- erty and a friend of Gen. Washington, it
stems probable that he was not in favor of an
entire separation from Great Britain, for,
though he was elected by the convention of
1776, a member of the first republican council
of state, he declined to accept the ofifice. In
1758 Col. Tayloe completed the fine house at
"Mt. Airy," on the Rappahannock river, which,
with its gardens and parks, remains such an
interesting example of the home of the wealthy
colonial planter. He had also a town house
at Williamsburg for his winter residence, and
"here and at Mt. Airy he was renowned for
his hospitality." Col. Tayloe died April 18,
1779. He married Rebecca Plater, eldest
dciughter of George Plater, Esq., of St. Mary's
county, Maryland, and had a son John and
eight daughters who each married a man of
distinction. "Mt. Airy" still remains in the
Tayloe family.
Page, John, of "North End," on North river, Gloucester (now Matthews) county, v.as the son of Hon. i\Iann Page, of "Rose- well," Gloucester, and was born about 1720. According to the short autobiography of his nephew. Gov. Page, John Page, of "North End," was educated as a lawyer. The cata- logue of William and Mary College shows that be was a student there. He was a mem- ber of the house of burgesses, representing Gloucester from 1754 to 1764, and was ap- pointed to the council in 1768. The "X'irginia (jazette" of June 16 in that year announces the appointment, and a later edition states that he was sworn and took his seat on June 30. He was also one of the visitors of W^illiam and Mary College. His tenure of of^ce did not last long, for the "Gazette" of Oct. 6, 1774, records his death.
Wormeley, Ralph, the third of that name, of "Rosegill." Middlesex county, was the son of Ralph Wormeley, of the same place, and
