Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt, also known as Lord Botetourt, was born in 1718 and served as governor of the Virginia Colony from 1768 to his death in 1770.[vi] Before moving to Virginia to serve as governor, Botetourt lived in England and had quite a reputation there. Botetourt was a member of Parliament in England.[vii] Among his colleagues, there was an overall doubt in his ability to govern Virginia. Botetourt used his indifference and wavering opinions in a strategic manner – his colleague stating upon discussion of his governance in the colonies, “To Virginia he cannot be indifferent: he must turn their heads somehow or other. If his graces do not captivate them, he will enrage them to fury; for I take all his douceur to be enamelled on iron.”[viii] Despite these doubts, Botetourt was nominated to go to Virginia and serve as governor – named by the Earl of Hillsborough.[ix] This occurred largely due to his support of ministerial policies in hopes that he could mend the relationship between church and government that had grown rocky during Governor Fauquier’s term.[x] Additionally, the previous governor refused to live in Williamsburg, making Botetourt a better candidate in the eyes of the masses.[xi]

Once in Williamsburg, Botetourt made quite an impression upon his constituents and the College of William & Mary as a whole. During his term as governor, Botetourt lived in the Governor’s Palace and had a very close relationship with the College – eventually becoming a rector of the Board of Visitors.[xii] Botetourt would often participate in morning prayers with the students[xiii] and even developed the Botetourt Medal, originally intended to be granted to two W&M students and presently given out to one student on commencement day.[xiv]

Botetourt’s residence in the Governor's Palace is notable for a variety of reasons. The staffing at the Palace is one to note, as it was staffed with both servants and Black enslaved people.[xv] Lord Botetourt’s positioning in the Palace in conjunction with the enslavement of individuals to work its grounds must be considered when examining the ways in which the College of William & Mary memorializes him to this day.

Though he was widely liked and supported by his constituents, he made a few notable decisions which would then lend themselves to the contradictions and overall distrust in governmental bodies and figures that we observe today.

On May 17 of 1769, Botetourt dissolved the General Assembly after the House of Burgesses expressed their opposition to parliamentary policies stating that only the General Assembly can tax Virginians.[xvi] This decision by Botetourt revealed where his loyalties truly lied – with the Crown. However, because of the foundation he had established with his constituents, he remained widely liked. In a letter to a friend in London, John Page wrote, “This has not lessen’d him in their Esteem, for they suppose he was obliged to do so; he is universally esteemed here, for his great Assiduity in his Office, Condescension, good Nature & true Politeness.”[xvii] From this, we understand that there was perhaps an aspect of blind trust placed in Botetourt -- an understanding among his constituents that he opposed British policies and taxes, presumably supporting their efforts for independence. However, that was not the case. In a confidential letter written to the Earl of Hillsborough, the Secretary of State for the colonies and the man who named him governor, Botetourt begs the Earl to take a stance against colonial protests. He writes, “that Opinions of the Independancy of the Legislature of the Colonies are grown to such a Height in this Country, that it becomes Great Britain, if ever she intends it, immediately to assert her Supremacy in a manner which may be felt.”[xviii] From this, Botetourt expresses that efforts of parliament are essentially of no use with the ways in which the colonists are fighting back, telling Hillsborough “to loose no more time in Declarations which irritate but do not decide.”[xix]

Later, Botetourt announced to Virginians that the Townshend Acts, imposing taxes upon goods such as paper and tea, would be repealed.[xx] This speech elevated misunderstandings among the colonists, as his previous actions dissolving the General Assembly sent a directly oppositional message to the speech. Despite Botetourt vehemently opposing their efforts towards independence, Botetourt was able to maintain a loyal constituency. His constituents viewed his speech as “sanctified by the royal word.”[xxi] With that, fears of British spies within the colonies began to grow, furthering concerns of the monarchy controlling the colonies rather than ministry or the House of Commons. After this speech, many had a lot to say. Visiting Naval Office, Sir Thomas Adams, stated that “we find his last speech to the House of Burgesses has occasion’d much sarcastically Mirths”[xxii] and,“The repeal of the late Acts by no means has abated their Enthusiastic fury; hitherto the Virginians have been moderate, how long they will continue so I know not.”[xxiii] Parliament member, Edmund Burke stated, “I really cannot read this without emotion.”[xxiv] He further proclaimed, “It was criminal to appoint Lord Botetourt to the government of Virginia. At a moment of confusion, it was not a lord of the bedchamber that was wanted.”[xxv] Despite these controversies, Botetourt was still widely adored. After his death on October 15 1770, he was buried beneath the Wren Chapel at the College of William & Mary, where he remains to this day.[xxvi] Furthermore, the House of Burgesses commissioned a marble statue to honor him; the statue arrived in 1773[xxvii] and currently stands in the basement of the Earl Gregg Swem Library.

Botetourt’s legacy is a double-sided one. On one hand, he mended the relationship between the ministry and government, something that set him apart from his predecessors. His close relationship with the College of William & Mary is reflective in the ways in which he is memorialized on the College’s campus through the statues erected in his likeness and building complex constructed in his namesake. However, some of his decisions planted early seeds of distrust in local government, a fear that can be detected today as well. It was stated that Botetourt during his time in Virginia played a role in “fostering constitutional myths and political misunderstandings.”[xxviii] Botetourt actively exacerbated contradictions in government with his wavering views and stances. William & Mary as a college that provides itself as standing in the ‘Birthplace of Democracy,’ the mystification of a figure who actively dissented these ideals of democracy is questionable. The emphasis of Botetourt’s value in the College’s narrative to this day is a rather interesting one. As a British man in the colonies in the Revolutionary Period, it is conflicting that he is honored alongside an institution and city that brands itself as a site of democracy and liberty.  Through demystifying a historical figure such as Lord Botetourt, he is then oriented in history through a contemporary lens where a space for an overt questioning of contradictions in the College’s placement of values rooted in freedom and liberty is further curated.  

Sources

[i] “Lord Botetourt Coffin Plate Returns - Come See It!” William & Mary Libraries, October 11, 2018. https://libraries.wm.edu/blog/post/lord-botetourt-coffin-plate-returns-come-see-it.

[ii] Ibid

[iii] Ibid

[iv] “Lord Botetourt Statue, Constructed 1770- 1773.” TribeTrek. Accessed April 21, 2023. https://tribetrek.wm.edu/items/show/11.

[v] Stoermer, Taylor. “Will the Real Lord Botetourt Please Stand?” Journal of the American Revolution, February 26, 2013. https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/02/will-the-real-lord-botetourt-please-stand/#_edn10.

[vi] “Lord Botetourt Statue, Constructed 1770- 1773.” TribeTrek. Accessed April 21, 2023. https://tribetrek.wm.edu/items/show/11.

[vii] Coleman, Charles Washington. “Norborne, Baron de Botetourt, Governor-General of Virginia, 1768-1770.” The William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine 5, no. 3 (1897): 165–71. https://doi.org/10.2307/1914879.

[viii] Stoermer, Taylor. “Will the Real Lord Botetourt Please Stand?” Journal of the American Revolution, February 26, 2013. https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/02/will-the-real-lord-botetourt-please-stand/#_edn10.

[ix] Coleman, Charles Washington. “Norborne, Baron de Botetourt, Governor-General of Virginia, 1768-1770.” The William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine 5, no. 3 (1897): 165–71. https://doi.org/10.2307/1914879.

[x] Tarter, Brent, and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. “Norborne Berkeley Baron de Botetourt (1717–1770).” Encyclopedia Virginia, December 2020. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/berkeley-norborne-baron-de-botetourt-1717-1770/.

[xi]  Coleman, Charles Washington. “Norborne, Baron de Botetourt, Governor-General of Virginia, 1768-1770.” The William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine 5, no. 3 (1897): 165–71. https://doi.org/10.2307/1914879.

[xii] “Lord Botetourt Coffin Plate Returns - Come See It!” William & Mary Libraries, October 11, 2018. https://libraries.wm.edu/blog/post/lord-botetourt-coffin-plate-returns-come-see-it.

[xiii]  Tarter, Brent, and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. “Norborne Berkeley Baron de Botetourt (1717–1770).” Encyclopedia Virginia, December 2020. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/berkeley-norborne-baron-de-botetourt-1717-1770/.

[xiv] “Botetourt Medal.” Special Collections Knowledgebase. Accessed February 21, 2024. https://scrc-kb.libraries.wm.edu/botetourt-medal.

[xv] “Governor’s Palace.” Governor’s Palace : The Colonial Williamsburg Official History & Citizenship Site. Accessed February 20, 2024. https://www.slaveryandremembrance.org/almanack/places/hb/hbpal.cfm?showSite=mobile-regular.

[xvi] Tarter, Brent, and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. “Norborne Berkeley Baron de Botetourt (1717–1770).” Encyclopedia Virginia, December 2020. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/berkeley-norborne-baron-de-botetourt-1717-1770/.

[xvii] Stoermer, Taylor. “Will the Real Lord Botetourt Please Stand?” Journal of the American Revolution, February 26, 2013. https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/02/will-the-real-lord-botetourt-please-stand/#_edn10.

[xviii] McGaan, Dianne Jean -- editors edition, "The official Letters of Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt, Governor of Virginia, 1768-1770" (1971). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. William & Mary. Paper 1539624715.

https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-fb8c-h047

[xix] Ibid

[xx]  Stoermer, Taylor. “Will the Real Lord Botetourt Please Stand?” Journal of the American Revolution, February 26, 2013. https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/02/will-the-real-lord-botetourt-please-stand/#_edn10.

[xxi] Ibid

[xxii] Ibid

[xxiii] Ibid

[xxiv] Ibid

[xxv] Ibid

[xxvi]  Coleman, Charles Washington. “Norborne, Baron de Botetourt, Governor-General of Virginia, 1768-1770.” The William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine 5, no. 3 (1897): 165–71. https://doi.org/10.2307/1914879.

[xxvii]  “Lord Botetourt Coffin Plate Returns - Come See It!” William & Mary Libraries, October 11, 2018. https://libraries.wm.edu/blog/post/lord-botetourt-coffin-plate-returns-come-see-it.

[xxviii] Stoermer, Taylor. “Will the Real Lord Botetourt Please Stand?” Journal of the American Revolution, February 26, 2013. https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/02/will-the-real-lord-botetourt-please-stand/#_edn10.