Thomas Bargrave (1581–1621) was a colonial American

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

minister who served as rector of Henrico Parish.

Early life

Bargrave was born around 1581 in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, England. He was educated at

Clare College Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

, Cambridge, earning a Bachelor of Arts around 1600, Master of Arts in 1603, Bachelor of Divinity in 1610, and Doctor of Divinity in 1621.

Ministry

Bargrave served as vicar of

Eythorne Eythorne is a civil parish and small village located 7.3 miles north-northwest of Dover in Kent, with a combined population of approximately 2,500 residents including nearby villages Barfrestone and Elvington. Although not classed as one of th ...

, Kent, from 1614 until his departure for Virginia around April 1619 alongside his two brothers, George and John. By 1619, Bargrave had succeeded previous rectors such as Alexander Whitaker to become rector of Henrico Parish, serving the settlement of Henricus on the James River. He ministered to the colonists and supported religious instruction, including outreach toward local Native Americans.

Proposed College at Henrico

In 1618, the Virginia Company of London obtained a royal charter (with Bargrave's coordination) to establish a university on 15,000 acres of land set aside at Henricus. Although the institution never materialized, the plan included a college to educate both English colonists and indigenous youth. Bargrave actively supported this effort. Outside of his ministry, Bargrave also established the first private plantation in Virginia in 1619.

Death

Upon his death in 1621, he bequeathed his personal library, valued at 100 marks (approximately £70), to the projected college at Henrico library. His gift is among the earliest recorded philanthropic contributions to higher education in colonial North America.

Legacy

Although the Henrico college project was short-lived, Bargrave’s vision prefigured later institutions—particularly the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public university, public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III of England, William III and Queen ...

(chartered in 1693). His bequest marked an early expression of charitable support for higher education in the English colonies.

References

{{authority control 1581 births 1621 deaths 17th-century Anglican clergy 17th-century American clergy People from Kent (before 1889) Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge