Arthur Smith IV ( – 1755) was a British colonial landowner, politician, and captain who incorporated

Smithfield, Virginia Smithfield is a town in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads subregion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, United States. The population was 8,533 at the 2020 census. The town is most famous for the curing and production of ...

, served as one of the town's founding trustees, and briefly represented Isle of Wight County in the

Virginia House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses () was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from 1619 to 1776. It existed during the colonial history of the United States in the Colony of Virginia in what was then British America. From 1642 to 1776, the Hou ...

Birth and family

Arthur Smith was born around 1680 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, the eldest son of Colonel Arthur Smith III and Mary Bromfield Smith. Smith came from two prominent Isle of Wight families. Smith's father was appointed High Sheriff of Isle of Wight County by Acting Governor of Virginia,

Francis Nicholson Lieutenant-General Francis Nicholson (12 November 1655 – ) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of South Carolina from 1721 to 1725. He previously was the Governor of Nova Scotia from 1712 to 1715, ...

. Smith's maternal grandfather was John Bromfield (1630–1680), the Isle of Wight Clerk of Court. Smith's paternal grandfather was Arthur Smith II, a judge and member of the House of Burgesses. His great-grandfather was Arthur Smith I, also a member of the House of Burgesses who was granted a

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

from King

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

in 1637. an
''Accompanying photo''
/ref> By the 1730s, Smith married widow Elizabeth Bray-Allen, but they did not have any children.

Life and career

Smith served as a member of the House of Burgesses representing Isle of Wight County from 1720 to 1722, succeeding his father in the seat he had previously held. Smith inherited a 1,450 acre farm and plantation after the death of his father. In the 1740s, Smith built the current

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

estate on his family land. Smith owned at least four enslaved persons during his adulthood. In 1750, Captain Smith petitioned the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

to dock part of his entailed estate to create a town which he would call "Smithfield." The original survey and plat of the Town of Smithfield was made by Jordan Thomas, County Surveyor. The town of Smithfield was established as a colonial seaport in 1752 by Smith, which had four streets and 72 lots to house British merchants and ship captains. Each lot sold for four pounds, six shillings. When establishing the town, Smith also donated a plot of land to become a free public school for children. The settlers brought hogs with them and quickly found that the climate of the town was ideal for curing ham and bacon. Upon the establishment of the town of Smithfield by the General Assembly, Smith was appointed as one of the first voting trustees of the town, serving alongside Robert Burwell, William Holden, James Baker, James Dunlop, James Arthur, and

Joseph Bridger Joseph Bridger (baptized February 28, 1632– April 15, 1686) emigrated to the Virginia colony from England where he became wealthy and known for supporting Governor William Berkeley and his successors. As would his namesake grandson and se ...

Death and burial

Smith died in 1755 at Bacon's Castle in

Surry County, Virginia Surry County is a county in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,561. In 1652, Surry County was formed from the portion of James City County south of the James River. For more tha ...

around 75 years old, just three years after the founding of Smithfield. Smith is believed to be buried at the Windsor Castle family burying ground. In recent years, the town of Smithfield has discussed performing DNA testing and forensic analysis at the Smith burying ground to identify the grave of Captain Smith.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Arthur (captain) 1680s births 1755 deaths Slave owners from the Thirteen Colonies People from Isle of Wight County, Virginia People from Smithfield, Virginia Isle of Wight County, Virginia 17th-century American landowners 18th-century American landowners American sailors Founders of cities in the Thirteen Colonies

Birth and family

Life and career

Death and burial

See also

References