Martin's Hundred
Martin's Hundred was an early seventeenth-century English plantation and settlement on the north shore of the James River in the Virginia Colony.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Martin's Hundred was an early English plantation and settlement established along roughly ten miles of the north shore of the James River, east of Jamestown in what is now James City County, Virginia. It was one of the subsidiary or “particular” plantations operated under the broader Virginia Company of London, the joint-stock enterprise that sponsored England's colonization of Virginia. Unlike a centrally administered town, a particular plantation was backed by a separate group of investors that received rights to settle and exploit a designated tract of land while remaining connected to the parent company. The settlement's sponsoring association was known as the Society of Martin's Hundred. It was named for Richard Martin, recorder of the City of London, and included investors such as Sir John Wolstenholme. In 1618 the society obtained a grant reported as covering 80,000 acres. Approximately 250 settlers left England in October of that year and reached Virginia during the winter or early spring of 1619. William Harwood served as governor of the settlement. Martin's Hundred received political representation in Virginia's House of Burgesses from 1619 until the colony's transition to county-based administration in 1634. The plantation's principal settlement was Wolstenholme Towne, an administrative and defensive center consisting largely of rough cabins and fortifications. The community occupied land that had previously formed part of the Powhatan sphere of influence. On March 22, 1622, Powhatan forces launched coordinated attacks against English settlements along the James River. Martin's Hundred was among the most severely affected locations. More than fifty residents, and possibly as many as seventy, were killed. The wider attack caused approximately four hundred English deaths, although historical estimates vary. The assault led surviving English settlers to retreat temporarily toward the relative security of Jamestown and contributed to the disruption and contraction of outlying settlements. Wolstenholme Towne was resettled after the attack but was abandoned sometime after 1645. The land later became associated with Carter's Grove Plantation after Robert “King” Carter acquired it around 1709. For centuries, the earlier settlement and its burial grounds were largely forgotten beneath later agricultural fields and woodland. Archaeological work associated with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation began to recover the site in the twentieth century, with excavations directed by Ivor Noël Hume identifying graves and settlement remains. Hume's research later helped make Martin's Hundred the subject of a major archaeological and historical study. Martin's Hundred is therefore not a contemporary commercial brand. It is best understood as a historical place-name and archaeological site whose significance lies in the early English colonization of Virginia, the development of representative government, relations and conflict with Powhatan communities, and the material evidence recovered from the settlement. The wider Carter's Grove property has passed through several owners and preservation arrangements. Colonial Williamsburg operated the site for a period, closed its public attraction in 2003 amid operating and attendance concerns, and later transferred the property to private ownership. The historic settlement remains important in scholarship and interpretation even though the original plantation ceased to exist as an operating community centuries ago.
History
Martin's Hundred was created during the expansion of England's Virginia colony under the Virginia Company of London. The Society of Martin's Hundred, a group of investors named for London civic official Richard Martin, received a substantial land grant from the parent company in 1618. About 250 settlers traveled from England in October of that year and arrived in Virginia during the winter or early spring of 1619. William Harwood served as governor. The plantation extended along the north bank of the James River east of Jamestown. Its territory had previously been part of the political and cultural landscape associated with the Powhatan paramount chiefdom. English claims to the land formed part of a broader process of colonization that brought settlers, agriculture, private investment, and representative institutions into direct conflict with Indigenous communities. Martin's Hundred was represented in the House of Burgesses from 1619 through 1634. Its administrative center, Wolstenholme Towne, consisted of fortified and semi-fortified structures, cabins, and other facilities associated with an early colonial settlement. The community was vulnerable because English settlers lived in dispersed locations rather than behind a single permanent defensive perimeter. On March 22, 1622, Powhatan forces attacked English settlements across a wide stretch of the James River. The coordinated assault killed roughly four hundred English colonists overall, though exact figures differ among accounts. Martin's Hundred suffered the highest or one of the highest recorded losses, with more than fifty people killed and some estimates placing the total near seventy. Survivors temporarily withdrew toward Jamestown. The attack disrupted settlement, agriculture, and investment across the colony and altered English military and settlement policy. Wolstenholme Towne was re-established after the attack, but the settlement gradually declined and was abandoned after 1645. The land later became part of Carter's Grove Plantation, named after planter Robert “King” Carter, who acquired it around 1709. The later plantation landscape obscured the earlier settlement and burial grounds. Archaeological investigation revived interest in Martin's Hundred. Ivor Noël Hume, associated with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, began excavations in 1970. Archaeologists identified twenty-three graves dating to the second quarter of the seventeenth century, as well as evidence of the settlement. The site was discovered and publicized as a lost colonial community, and portions of the archaeological area and later-period interpretive facilities were incorporated into the Carter's Grove visitor experience. Colonial Williamsburg closed the attraction to the public on January 2, 2003, in the context of declining attendance and operating-cost concerns. The site's distance from the main restored area in Williamsburg was considered an additional disadvantage. The foundation subsequently reviewed the property's future and later transferred Carter's Grove and associated holdings to private ownership. Ownership changed again after a buyer's company entered bankruptcy; the foundation reacquired the property at auction in 2014 and sold it later that year to Samuel Mencoff, who was described as interested in preservation. Today, Martin's Hundred is remembered primarily through archaeological research, historical writing, and the surviving landscape associated with Carter's Grove. The settlement no longer operates as a community or commercial enterprise, and the historic town's remains are not equivalent to a modern tourist brand. Its continuing importance derives from evidence about early colonial society, the House of Burgesses, the 1622 conflict, burial practices, and the long transformation of Virginia's Tidewater landscape.
- 2014
Carter's Grove changes ownership
[1]The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation won the property at auction and sold it later that year to Samuel Mencoff.
- 2003
Carter's Grove attraction closes
[1]Colonial Williamsburg ended regular public operation of the Carter's Grove attraction.
- 1979
Major historical study is published
[1]Ivor Noël Hume's study of Martin's Hundred was first published, bringing the archaeological discovery to a wider readership.
- 1976
Wolstenholme Towne site identified
[1]Archaeologists identified the previously forgotten settlement beneath later fields and woodland.
- 1970
Archaeological excavations begin
[1]Ivor Noël Hume began archaeological work at the Carter's Grove property and identified burial remains and evidence of the earlier settlement.
- 1709
Land becomes associated with Carter's Grove
[1]Robert “King” Carter acquired the land, which later became known as Carter's Grove Plantation.
- 1645
Wolstenholme Towne abandoned
[1]The settlement was abandoned sometime after this date, although the precise year is not established.
- 1634
House of Burgesses representation ends
[1]Martin's Hundred ceased to be represented as a separate plantation when Virginia adopted county administration.
- 1622
Powhatan attack
[1]The March 22 attack killed more than fifty residents of Martin's Hundred and possibly as many as seventy, making it the most heavily affected plantation in the assault.
- 1619
Settlers arrive and representation begins
[1]Approximately 250 settlers reached Virginia, and Martin's Hundred began its period of representation in the House of Burgesses.
Products and positioning
Historical settlement and archaeological heritage site; not a current commercial brand.
Brand decisions
2003
Public operation of Carter's Grove is discontinuedStrategyBackground
Colonial Williamsburg was experiencing declining attendance, and Carter's Grove was distant from the principal restored area and costly to operate.
Action taken
The foundation closed the Carter's Grove attraction to regular visitors while continuing to secure and maintain aspects of the property.
Aftermath
The site's future as a public attraction remained unsettled, while archaeological materials and historic resources continued to receive preservation attention.
Sources1 sources
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